


Solid Ground

by LadyThemiss



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:55:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29300025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyThemiss/pseuds/LadyThemiss
Summary: Magnum and Higgins face down his past together with a little help from their friends. Will be Miggy by the end :)
Relationships: Juliet Higgins & Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, Juliet Higgins/Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV
Comments: 86
Kudos: 199





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a multi-chapter that I'll update weekly. I don't have much writing experience so I'm a little nervous about this!

Thomas walks into the office and finds Juliet sitting at her desk, working on what looks like the estate’s finances. 

“Hey,” he says, with an easy smile. 

She glances up and smiles back before returning her eyes to the screen. He knows she’s trying to subtly hint that she’s busy, but since when has that ever stopped him from continuing a conversation?

“How was your romantic weekend away with Ethan?”

She pauses in her typing. She was hoping to avoid this conversation with him. She really should’ve known better. They are friends, after all, so of course he’s going to ask her how her weekend was, despite there always being some awkwardness when they discuss her love life. There really is no point in lying to him. He’ll know if she holds back and he’ll keep needling her until she caves and tells him everything. 

She swivels the chair to face him and in return he leans against the desk, angling towards her, sensing there’s some gravity to what she’s about to say. 

“We had a great time.”

Thomas is confused, her smile has an odd sullenness about it. He stays quiet, knowing she’ll continue. 

“Ethan asked me to move in with him.”

His stomach drops. 

“Oh. Wow. That’s a big step.” He tries to remain neutral in his reaction. “What did you say?”

“Well, everything with Ethan,” she pauses, lost in thought for a moment, before continuing with, “it’s been lovely, really.” She takes a deep breath, “After Richard, I truly didn’t know what my heart would be capable of—rather, if I’d ever feel comfortable or ready or willing to share a life with someone. Or, I suppose, if I’d ever be brave enough to risk the happiness of the highs, knowing the sadness of the lows.”

She continues with, “You might recall that when we first met, I could be rather acerbic.”

He gives a small chuckle of agreement. “Could be?”

“Oh, ha, ha. Very funny. Back then though, I think, well, I was in so much pain. I almost enjoyed stewing in it, to a certain extent. But then, this incredibly annoying, childish, irresponsible man-child showed up and pulled me out of the mire I let myself sink into. Before I even realized it, his charm and generosity became a lifeline, and he and his misfit bunch of brothers slowly began dragging me back to land. I was certainly no cup of tea and perhaps fought their rescue a bit along the way.” She shows him happiness and guilt at the same time.

They both laugh but he asks, “Why are you telling me this?”

She doesn’t make eye contact with him as she starts rambling a bit. “Well, all this is to say, I don’t know where I would’ve been if not for you. But happy wasn’t a destination I saw on the horizon. And now, what I have with Ethan, it does make me happy. And it has helped me heal. And I love that about him.” She has a far off look on her face and she gazes into the distance as she says, “It’s different from what I had with Richard. Which makes me question—all of it. But then I wonder if I’m just making excuses.” 

She finally looks back at Magnum as she says, “I told Ethan some of this, and explained that I was flattered by his desire to move in together, but that it’s a big step and I’d need some time to think about it. Of course he was entirely reasonable and said he understood. I think he knew I’d need time, but had hoped for something different.”

Magnum lowers his head in thought. As much as it hurts Thomas in some sense to hear how she feels about Ethan, her uncertainty over her feelings also gives him hope. No matter what she and Ethan become, Thomas knows Ethan will be the man who helped her move beyond her past by helping her test out her own ability to be in a relationship again. Maybe Ethan is her future, but maybe he’s just the conduite to her next great love.

As Magnum looks at her, she can’t help but note the sincerity in his eyes as he says, “Look, no matter what you decide, where you live, who you share your life with, I’m always going to be here for you. We don’t need to be under the same roof for me to have your back, or to drive you crazy, or to be your lifeline. You’re my partner—your physical whereabouts won’t change that.”

She seems worried as she asks, “So, you think I should move in with him?” 

He smiles and wags his finger at her. “Oh no, I’m not making this choice for you. I just want you to know that I support whatever choice you make. I will say this though—you saved me as much as I might’ve saved you.”

He can tell he’s caught her off guard with that. 

“How do you mean?” she asks.

He has that goofy sideways smirk on his face as if he’s been caught red-handed but at the same time as if he’s also amused by what he's done. “You might’ve been content simmering in your pool of misery, but I was living a life of leisure and detachment. I floated from one moment of instant-gratification to the next. I had no one to ground me. Sure, Rick, TC, and Nuzo were there and supportive, but they certainly weren’t going to reprimand me over my behavior. If I pulled you to dry land, you pulled me out of the sky, and we both found solid ground, together.”

They look at each other for a long moment with slow smiles spreading on their faces. They burst out laughing at the truth of his words and the ridiculousness of his past antics. As they keep looking at each other though, Juliet’s chest feels heavy suddenly, and she has to look away. She feels herself becoming surprisingly emotional. The two of them really have come a long way. 

A topic change is surely needed. 

“Anyways, I’ve got a few hours of work here but after lunch I can help you with the Wilson case. Where are we on that?”

“Perfect, because I found a property that he didn’t tell us about that we should check out.”

* * *

It’s late afternoon and they’re heading downtown. Vaguely, he hears Higgins call his name. 

“Thomas.”

“Huh?”

His head has been in the clouds since she told him about Ethan’s desire to move in together. He believes what he told her, that they don’t need to be under the same roof to support each other, but damn, he’ll miss her. It seems like these last few months just keep pulling Juliet farther and farther from him. The harder he tries to hold on, the more quickly she slips away. 

“Thomas, we have a tail,” she seems exasperated with his fogginess. 

He peaks in the rearview mirror. 

She’s right, they are being followed. The SUV isn’t white, but it does have tinted windows. And who’s to say it isn’t the same people? 

“Hang on, I’ll lose them.”

He speeds up and swerves past a few cars, back and forth between lanes. The SUV stays on them though. That’s interesting. Normally they bail once it’s clear that Thomas is onto them. 

Magnum and Higgins exchange a brief, worried glance. Juliet pulls her phone out and dials Katsumoto while Thomas whips a sharp left, tires screeching. 

“Higgins, what’s up?” Katsumoto asks.

“Gordon, we have a tail.”

“Same white SUV?”

“No, not this time.”

“Can you get the plates?”

“Yes, hold on.”

Higgins spins in the passenger seat as Magnum twists in and out of traffic, up and down streets. 

“Okay, black Chevy Tahoe license plate alpha-tango-charlie-eight-six-two.”

“A-T-C-8-6-2. Got it. Running it now. Where are you guys?”

“We’re downtown. Kalani Street currently.”

“Okay, I’ll alert the closest patrol.” Higgins hears typing and then Katsumoto says, “I’ve got the registration. Vehicle was reported stolen this morning.”

Magnum takes a sharp right and sees an intersection ahead. His path is clear but the stop light is yellow. With any luck, if he pushes it, maybe even runs the red, the car tailing them will be forced to stop due to oncoming traffic. 

Higgins tenses up beside him. “Magnum, the lights yellow.” 

“I know, hold on.”

He floors it and watches the light turn red just as they cross underneath. Magnum glances in the rearview mirror and Higgins turns in her seat. The SUV has stopped at the light and cross traffic is flowing. 

Higgins turns to Magnum with a smile on her face as she puts the phone back to her ear and says, “We lost them, Gor—”

Before she can finish the sentence a white SUV comes out of a side street and t-bones them. 

“Higgins? Higgins!” Katsumoto shouts. All he hears are tires screeching a loud bang before the line goes dead. 

Gordon picks up his radio and calls in the accident, but he imagines onlookers and other drivers are already calling 9-1-1, as well. He stands, grabs his suit jacket off the back of his chair, and jogs out of the precinct. 

* * *

Thomas wakes up, his head pounding. He’s laying on his back, but he isn’t comfortable. He rolls to the side and immediately feels dizzy. His hands make contact with the floor. It’s cold and hard. He cracks an eye open. It looks like concrete. Now fully on his stomach, both hands in contact with the floor, he lifts his head and looks around. The walls are concrete too. It looks similar to a basement, but it must be at ground level. There’s a door in one wall and a full window in another wall. He can see that it’s nighttime and there’s thick foliage outside. 

He pushes himself into a kneeling position, slowly bringing one foot up to place on the ground, then the other. He begins to rise, reaching for the wall that’s an arms-length to his left. Once fully upright, he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and turns slightly so his back can lean against the wall. 

Opening his eyes, he realizes the only faint light he has is from the sliver under the door. Moonlight seems scarce, the window too densely covered by trees to let any in. As he surveys the room, his eyes adjust to shapes in the darkness and he sees that there’s a metal bench on the other side of the room. He keeps one hand along the wall and walks slowly towards it, then he makes out a shape on the bench. 

Higgins. 

In his rush to her, he stumbles, still unsteady, and falls to his knees right in front of her. 

Her arm is hanging off the bench. He reaches for it and feels for a pulse. 

It’s steady. Thank god.

Is she injured? He does a quick scan and everything looks normal. She has a few cuts from what he assumes is the now shattered windshield of the Ferrari. He pushes some of the hair away that hides half of her face. She looks peaceful. He almost doesn’t want to wake her. It will only bring her to the same confusion and panic he experienced upon waking. He knows she’ll want to be awake and form a game-plan though.

“Higgins,” he calls gently, and rubs her shoulder. “Higgins, come on, time to wake up.”

He gently taps one cheek, “Come on Higgy, you can do it.”

Her eyelids begin to flutter. 

Once fully open, she locks eyes with him and smiles. A moment later her eyebrows knit and she frowns.

“Thomas?”

She tries sitting up and he helps her, moving himself onto the bench next to her. 

“Where are we? What happened?”

“We picked up a tail on our way to look into a case, remember? Just when I thought we’d lost them, someone hit us. Next thing I know, we wake up here.”

“Right. I remember.” After thirty more seconds of silence Higgins says, “But wait, we were on the phone with Gordon. Surely people are looking for us right now.”

“Yeah, but where are we? And where are they looking?” They let this sink in as they try to process what to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Over what Magnum assumes to be the next hour, he and Higgins spend time exploring the room. The window is clearly bulletproof, and slamming the bench into it gets them nowhere—not even a scratch or dent. 

The door won’t budge and there are no handles on the inside so there isn’t much they can do with that. 

They each slump into a wall and sit on the floor. 

“What now?” he asks. 

“I suppose our only play is to get some rest and wait for them to make a move. Right now, we don’t have much to go on. They won’t leave us here forever. They’ve been following you for months. They want something. Let’s not play into their hands and worry ourselves thinking of what it might be. Let’s rest while we can.”

“You ever gotten a good night’s rest on a concrete floor before?”

“Look, I didn’t say it was going to be easy, but you seem concussed, so you might as well at least try to get some shuteye.”

He rolls his eyes at her logic and leans his head back against the wall. She’s getting a bit testy. So is he though. They need to stick together. She must come to the same conclusion he does because she says, “Come over here.”

He looks at her quizzically. 

She stretches her legs out in front of her and pats one thigh. “Might be easier with a pillow. You sleep, I’ll keep an eye and ear out.”

He doesn’t have the energy to argue with her.

* * *

When Katsumoto gets to the scene he pauses for a moment, stunned by what he sees. The Ferrari is demolished. The driver’s side has been struck and the car looks bent in half. If Magnum and Higgins are okay, it’s due to all the airbags deploying and the fact that on these small side streets, it’s difficult to drive fast.

He approaches one of the officers on scene.

“Any sign of Thomas Magnum or Juliet Higgins?”

“No, sir. Eye witnesses say a man dressed in all black, including a ski mask, jumped out of the white SUV and approached the Ferrari at the same time that a grey van pulled up and three more men jumped out. All four helped to move Magnum and Higgins into the van, then they sped off.”

Katsumoto puts his hands on his hips, lowers his head, and sighs in frustration. 

“Okay, start pulling street cam footage. I’ll check in with our techs and see if they pull anything from the abandoned SUV.” 

Gordon figures he’ll let the lab techs put in more time before he checks in, plus he needs to make a call first.

“Gordy, my man, what can I do for you?” Rick asks as he greets the detective. 

“We’ve got a problem.”

* * *

When the door opens she’s surprised. She must’ve drifted off. Magnum is asleep, head in her lap. They both jerk awake with the squeak of the hinges. Magnum pushes himself up to sit next to Higgins. 

Neither can contain their look of surprise when Ivan strolls through the door. 

The room is alight, but not from the hallway this time. It’s clearly morning. A faint glow comes in through the window. 

“Good morning,” he greets them rather too cheerfully, arms open, as if this is a friendly welcome. 

They both know better than to say anything. Better to let their captor talk and give up as much information as they can get out of him before they engage. 

“I hope the night’s rest did you some good. You were looking a little worse for the wear when we first brought you in, Thomas.”

Thomas looks up with a snide smile. Juliet’s snarl of disdain goes unnoticed. Ivan only has eyes for Thomas. 

“I must admit, I really only intended to grab you, Thomas, but, we’ll make the most of having Ms. Higgins with us for the time being.”

He looks Juliet directly in the eyes when he says, “It’s going to be fun breaking a former MI6 operative.” He rubs his hands together excitedly. 

She sends a steely glare his way. 

“What do you want, Ivan?” Thomas asks. 

“All in good time. For now, here’s breakfast.” He leaves, but returns in a few seconds with two muffins and two bottles of water. He places them on the bench, smiles at the pair, then goes out the door. The lock clicks.

“What do you make of that?” Higgins asks.

“I’m not sure, but I’m not looking forward to finding out.”

Thomas turns to her and says, “Higgins.” There’s a weight, a concern, behind how he says her name. 

She turns to him slowly. 

He continues, “Whatever he wants, he’s gonna use you to get it and—”

“Magnum,” she cuts in, “Don’t you dare give him anything. You and I both know we’re in more danger once you give up whatever he wants. The longer we stall, the more time Gordon has to find us. And before you go there, Ivan is not going to kill me. He knows you won’t give him anything if I’m dead. There’s no incentive in that. If he has any sense, he knows there are worse things than death. Death brings an end, a finality. Life is full of suffering. He'll let me live. If only to make you suffer.”

Magnum says nothing, which is confirmation enough for both of them that what Higgins says is the truth. 

“I might be in physical pain, but I know you’re going to be torn up inside. They know it too. I’ll be strong, but I need you to be stronger.”

All he can do is stare at her. She sees the pain brewing in him already. 

“Don’t. Don’t go there Thomas. Promise me you’ll be strong.”

“Juliet,” he says with so much anguish in his voice. He knows she’s right though. So with a loud sigh he says, “I’ll be strong.” Then he closes his eyes and leans his head against the wall, trying to collect himself. 

“Come on,” Higgins says. “Let’s eat.” 

She stands to grab the muffins and bottles of water. They each eat half the muffin and drink half the water. Who knows when they’ll be fed again. For now, they’ll be fine on half portions. 

They sit in silence for some time before Magnum says, “Ivan being behind this means it’s about my time overseas.”

“Yes, that much is clear,” Higgins replies. “Any guesses as to which mission he needs information from?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Going to tell me?”

“No.”

“No?” 

“The more information you have, the more danger you’re in. Right now, I’m the only person alive who has what Ivan wants. He needs me. That’s the only chip I have to play.”

“Only person alive? Was there someone else who knew?”

“Yeah. Nuzo.”

“Not T.C. or Rick?”

“I suppose, in a way, they know something, but no, they wouldn’t know what Ivan wants to know.”

Just then the door opens and two men walk in. 

“Up,” one of them says. 

“And don’t even think about trying anything,” the other says. 

Magnum and Higgins exchange looks and stand. One guard leads them out of the room and into a hallway while the other trails behind them. At the end of the corridor they turn left, but Magnum and Higgins both glance right to see what’s in the other direction: Another hallway. Traveling left brings them to a dead end with a door at the end. The first man opens it and ushers them through.

Inside is a wide open space. Still concrete floors, but four times the size of the last room they’d been in. Ivan is there, as well as another man. There’s one chair and a table next to it, but not within reaching distance. Whatever’s on the table is covered by a towel. 

“Bring her here,” Ivan instructs one of the guards. 

They sit Juliet in the chair and latch her wrists and ankles to it. Ivan whispers something to the other man who was already in the room with him. The man moves to the table and lifts the corner of the towel to pull out what looks like a taser. 

Ivan turns to Thomas, who has a guard on either side of him. 

“This,” says Ivan, indicating towards the man with the taser, “is a new experimental taser. Now, the military passed on a contract because it’s ‘too deadly in the wrong hands,’ but I thought, huh, sounds kind of fun. And Peter here, he’s just been dying to try it out. Isn’t that right?”

Peter gives a nod and looks at Higgins. 

“You wouldn’t believe how many levels this thing has,” he explains to Thomas. Then he turns to Peter and says, “why don’t you start with the extremities. It’ll be fun to see her hands and feet cramp up to the point where she might not be able to use them for a few hours.”

“You’re one sick bastard,” Thomas says. 

Juliet gives him a look of chastisement from across the room that tells him he’s playing into Ivan’s hands by giving any reaction. 

Ivan walks towards Thomas as Peter pulls off Juliet’s boots and socks.

“This can go a few different ways,” Ivan says. “You can tell me what I want, or you can hold out hoping for rescue. Just know that the longer you do, the worse it becomes for Ms. Higgins.”

Ivan gets right in his face and looks him dead in the eyes as he says, “Just know, they all break, eventually.” Then he winks, smiles, and walks back towards Peter. 

“Let’s start slow and really draw this out. I have a feeling we’re going to be here a while.”

As Peter approaches Juliet, Thomas shouts, “You haven’t even told me what you want. If it’s Hyack, I don’t know where the FBI has him.”

“Oh come on Thomas, you must know that’s not what I’m after.” 

Ivan nods at Peter.

Peter places the taser on the sole of Juliet’s left foot and pushes the button to turn it on. Her toes curl into an impossibly rigid position, her calf cramps—like a charlie-horse but much worse, and unrelenting—her whole leg tries to shoot away from the chair but since her ankle is bound to it, her hips shoot off the seat, her whole torso is upright, the backs of her knees and the tops of her shoulders the only parts of her in contact with the body of the chair. She sets her jaw, grits her teeth, and keeps silent. 

Ivan gives a wave and Peter stops. 

Juliet slumps back down. A sweat breaks out over her skin. 

Ivan turns to Magnum. “Ready to talk yet?”

Magnum stares back, unblinking. 

“No? Okay, try her left hand next Peter, let’s see what that does. But turn it up one—No, two notches. Let’s really get this party started.”

Juliet had wondered why she’d been locked to the chair with her palms facing up, instead of down. Now she knows why. Peter approaches and places the taser right where you’d check for someone’s pulse. She realizes he can’t place it in her palm as her fingers are likely to close into a fist and there is little she can do about that. She hates the feeling that she has no power over her own body. 

Juliet looks straight at Thomas and holds his eyes while she gives him an almost imperceptible nod to signify that she’s okay. Then Peter presses the button. Her body goes rigid again, but this time her fingernails dig painfully into her palms as her whole arm spasms, wrenching her shoulder into an unnatural position that then causes the muscles in her back to spasm. Her head feels like it’s on fire. She realizes she’s holding her breath. She feels like she can’t remember how to breathe. 

Ivan gives a wave and it stops. 

This same pattern continues. Each time they stop, Ivan looks to Thomas, who in turn gives Ivan a blank stare. 

After the sixth round, Higgins loses consciousness. They throw a bucket of water in her face and that brings her back pretty quickly. 

“You know,” says Ivan, “I’d like to continue, but this is honestly becoming a little boring. And now that she’s wet, we risk causing a heart attack if we shock her again. Bring them back to their room. I’m hungry for a late afternoon snack.” With that, Ivan leaves without a glance in Magnum’s direction. 

After unlatching Higgins from the chair and pulling her to her feet, it’s clear she can’t support herself. 

A guard looks at Magnum and says, “Let’s go, pick her up.”

Thomas doesn’t need to be asked twice. He strides over to Higgins, puts one arm behind her shoulders, then leans down and puts the other under her knees. He carries her back to their concrete square-of-a-room with the guards escorting them. 

Once inside, he slumps down against the wall with her in his lap. She’s awake but dazed. He holds her and whispers reassuring words. He tells her they’ll make it out of this. She drifts off into a fitful sleep. 

Some time later, Thomas isn’t sure how long it’s been, she rouses herself. She lifts her head from his shoulder and opens her eyes to look at Thomas. She seems clear-headed. 

Still sitting in his lap, she puts both her hands on his shoulders, looks him square in the eyes and says, “I’m okay. I promise.” Then she asks, “Are you okay?”

She keeps one hand on his shoulder, but the other slides down his chest and rests over his heart, rubbing a little. She looks so worried about him it nearly breaks his heart. How can she be worried about him when she’s the one who was just tortured? She amazes him. 

He smiles, puts one of his hands over hers, and says, “I am now.”

Their eye contact is intense and filled with something he can’t name. He looks away, starts to shift, and suggests they eat the rest of their food.


	3. Chapter 3

When Rick and T.C. arrive at the scene the on-site investigation is wrapping up. The wreckage of the Ferrari is on a tow truck, as is the white SUV. Broken glass is being swept from the road. 

They spot Katsumoto and jog over to him.

“What happened?” Rick asks.

“I got a call from Higgins an hour ago. They’d picked up a tail.”

“The white SUV?”

“No, a different one. While Magnum worked to lose them I ran the plates and alerted patrols. Their tail was reported stolen. While I was on the phone with them they were hit by the white one.” Gordon motions to the one on the flatbed. “Witnesses reported men in black tactical gear pulling up in a van and grabbing Magnum and Higgins. That’s as much as we know.”

Rick and T.C. are silent for a moment, absorbing the information. 

“Well, tell us what you need, because you know we’re not just going to wait around while they’re missing,” Rick says.

Katsumoto looks skeptical so T.C. adds, “Yeah man, come on. This is different and you know it. We all need to be working on this.”

“I have officers pulling video from surveillance cameras up and down every street we think they were tailed on and we’ll try to work backwards, but that’ll take time.”

“Gordy, be straight with me, how fast is HPD going to move on this and should I start calling in some favors?”

Katsumoto sighs and says, “You know HPD is always swamped and things are backlogged. This will move to the front of the pile, but it wouldn’t hurt to have you two working on it independently. Where are you going to start?”

“Well,” Rick starts, “I know a guy who’s good with computers. Since we don’t have Higgins, I’m thinking I get in touch with him, have him start with the stolen SUV and see what we can come up with since I assume HPD will be looking into the van that snatched them on top of scanning surveillance from the crime scene and working backwards. So we’ll take all the information you have on the stolen vehicle and start there.”

“I’ll text you everything I have from the police report when I get back to the station.”

All three nod at each other.

Katsumoto offers, “We’ll find them,” before turning and walking back to his car. 

T.C. turns to Rick and asks, “Okay, who’s your computer guy?”

“Well, I’d actually go with the term hacker. And ‘guy’ might not be the most accurate description.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You see the thing is, Eddie is the son of Charlie, who I worked with at the King Kamehameha Club. He’s 19 but he’s a whizz, I swear. I may have helped get him out of trouble when he was caught hacking into something that he shouldn’t have, so he owes me.”

“Brother, please do not tell me we’re relying on a teenager to find Thomas and Juliet.”

“We’re relying on a teenager, but if it would make you feel more comfortable, we can call him a man-child.”

T.C. rolls his eyes and starts heading for the car.

Rick jogs behind him and says, “Just let me know, whatever you prefer.”

* * *

When it starts getting dark outside Thomas has the sneaking suspicion Ivan won’t be back until tomorrow. That thought worries him. Ivan acts as if he has all the time in the world, which means he’s confident no one will find them. Thomas doesn’t want to think about that possibility, and he doesn’t want to think about the secret that only he and Nuzo know. He needs a distraction. 

“Tell me what you meant yesterday—about what you have with Ethan being different than what you had with Richard—why you question that.”

This catches Higgins by surprise. 

She looks a bit dumbfounded so he says, “I need to think about something other than this. Anything else.” His eyes scan around the room to indicate what he means before landing back on her. 

Juliet gives a slight laugh. “So you want to talk about my love life?”

“Well, you’re the only one of us who has one right now, so yeah, let’s hear it.”

“Alright.”

Magnum is surprised that she acquiesces so readily. 

She gets lost in thought for a moment. Truthfully, she’s trying to figure out where to begin. 

“With Richard, I was always myself. That’s not to say I can’t be myself around Ethan, but, I knew who I was back then in the sense that everything was very black and white. I was an MI6 operative, so was Richard. There wasn’t much more to life than espionage and romance. I was young though, in my mid-twenties when we met. Looking back, it was easy to get swept up by emotions and young-love. I never saw the darkness coming. I was naive to think life would be that easy. But Richard and I, we fell into a domestic routine. Sometimes we worked missions together, but often we’d be going in two separate directions. That only made being home together all the more enjoyable. We’d hunker down for a week or two, until we were needed next, and we’d block out the rest of the world. I didn’t need anyone other than him. I guess that was the problem though—I needed him.”

He can tell she’s somewhere deep in her memories.

“I let myself become a woman who didn’t know how to function without him. I had two things in life: Richard and MI6. That was what I knew. But after he was gone MI6 just reminded me of him. But it certainly couldn’t hold me in it’s arms or tell me everything would be alright. I went to a dark place. Looking back, I know Ian was the one who helped me crawl out of the hole I was in because he felt guilty for what he did. He was a mentor to both me and Richard. He also needed to send me off in the wrong direction on my revenge mission. I’m not sure if he intended for my actions to lead to disavowal, but I’m sure he didn’t mind it. One day, after MI6 cut ties, a few months after Richard had been gone, I received a card in the mail from Robin. Richard and I had crossed paths with him on a mission and we helped him out. Anyways, in the card he said he was sorry for my loss and if I needed anything, I should reach out. On a whim I called him and said I’d like to take him up on his offer. I needed to get out of London and away from my life.”

Magnum says, “That’s how you ended up in Hawaii.”

“Yes. And until you came along, I spent a lovely eight months living a new life and pretending like the old one hadn’t happened.” 

They both smile. It isn’t necessarily funny, but it isn’t unfunny. 

“With Richard, the love was all-consuming. Had we more time together, I’d like to think that eventually we both would’ve realized how co-dependent we’d become, but, I can’t fault us too much. We were very much young and in love and in the honeymoon phase of our relationship where it’s hard not to be totally consumed by the other person. I knew I didn’t want something like that to happen again though, so I spent much of my time on the island knowing I was lost, but also discovering who I was without Richard and without MI6. Maybe for the first time I really started to know myself. My own true likes and dislikes, passions and values. Then you came along and upset the ease with which I was living. You added the spontaneity and excitement I’d forgotten about.”

They share a friendly conspiratorial glance.

“With Ethan, he caught me by surprise. I wasn’t looking for a relationship. In fact, you might even say I was actively avoiding one. I was so scared to start something with anyone that I was ready to tank my time with him, but then you convinced me otherwise. Things with Ethan are easy and fun. And it doesn’t hurt to be having regular sex, either,” she smirks.

“Okay, okay, I don’t need all the details.” He holds up his hands and grimaces. 

Higgins laughs out loud at him. It’s good to hear. 

“What I love about what I have with Ethan is that I don’t need Ethan. I’d be fine without him. But that leaves me feeling a bit like I’m stuck in a fog, wondering whether I should feel something more, something beyond simply fine. Part of me thinks there has to be a middle ground. Someone you love with your whole heart, but also someone who, when they're gone, will leave you better off than when they found you—they give you strength rather than take it. Someone you feel so deeply for you might drown in emotion, but someone who also makes you feel so sure-footed that you'll never lose balance, no matter what chaos comes.”

Thomas is awed by what she reveals. “What you had with Richard really must’ve been something special.”

She thinks she hears something like envy in his voice. She can’t be sure. Either way, she admits, “That’s not what I had with Richard. And that’s not what I have with Ethan.”

He gets the sense though that she has felt what she’s just described. A small clear voice in his heart tells him that he knows exactly who she’s talking about. 

“Ethan is the first man I’ve committed to since Richard, and he’s a good man, but I’m not sure he’s the right man for me. I suppose what I really love about Ethan is that he helped me move on. Which feels like it’s less about Ethan and more about that experience.”

This might be one of the most honest conversations they’ve ever had. Thomas knows he owes her honesty in return. 

“Look, I think you already know your answer to Ethan’s question about moving in together. You care so much about people that I know you don’t want to hurt him. I’m sure if you explained it all to him, he’d be upset, but he’d understand. Who could blame him for not wanting to lose you?”

Higgins doesn’t say anything, she simply sits, clearly thinking through much of what’s been said—and unsaid—between them. 

She’s broken out of her revere when the door opens and a guard comes in. 

“Dinner time,” he announces. “And you each get a bathroom trip.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan steps up the torture. Juliet stays strong.

By the next day at Robin’s Nest they’ve set up their own make-shift command center. Kumu is there making sure everyone is fed and hydrated and doing whatever else is needed of her. For as nervous as T.C. was about Eddie, it turns out he knows his stuff. 

Since last night he’s been working on hacking into the traffic cameras in the area where the black SUV was reported stolen, hoping to catch it, and then a glimpse inside at the driver. He’s made some progress tracking it, but no clear face shots yet.

It’s late afternoon when Rick walks into the room and announces, “I got it.”

T.C. and Eddie look up expectantly.

“The parking garage that the SUV was stolen from did have security cameras. Of course, they were all disabled. However, as I was walking around the garage I noticed a dash cam in one of the cars. I had Gordy run the plates for me and the car belongs to one of the residents in the building. I sweet-talked the super who gave me the apartment number. I had the loveliest conversation with a sweet older lady named Kathy who explained that she trusts absolutely no one and that shady stuff always goes down in parking garages, if she’s learned anything from her favorite CBS crime shows, that is. Kathy started using the dash cam when—

T.C. interrupts and asks, “Orville, this story have an end to it?”

“Yes, yes it does, my friend. All this is to say, Kathy provided us with the footage from her dash cam.”

Rick hands the memory card over to Eddie who pops it into his computer. “Okay, it seems like her camera has a pretty wide angle, hopefully our guy walked by it. I’ll see what I can find.”

Just then Ethan walks into the room. 

“Hey guys, I’m looking for Juliet. She’s not answering her phone but I’m supposed to pick her up so I figured I’d just come over.”

T.C. and Rick exchange worried glances. Eddie continues typing away and studiously avoids eye contact. Just then Kumu walks back into the room. 

“Oh, Ethan, you must be worried sick.” She walks up to him and rubs his back, trying to be reassuring. 

“Worried? Why, what happened?” There’s panic in his eyes. 

Kumu shoots a pointed look at Rick and T.C. who stay silent, then she rolls her eyes at them.

“Come with me, I’ll explain.”

Kumu escorts Ethan from the room.

“Got something,” Eddie says.

Rick and T.C. stand behind him and look at the screen. 

“Looks like our man was looking around for a bit before he decided on the black Tahoe. Picked him up inspecting a GMC Envoy parked two down from Kathy’s car.”

“Can you get a good shot of his face?”

“Yup, already got it.”

Eddie brings the picture up but Rick and T.C. both confirm that they’ve never seen the guy before. 

“At least it’s something. Guess we should send this pic over to Katsumoto.”

“Why would you do that?” Eddie asks.

“”What do you mean?” T.C. says, “Why wouldn’t we?”

“Well,” says Eddied, drawing out the word. “I may have already hacked into a facial recognition database to run his face through the system.”

“Eddie, am I going to have to use my connections to bail you out of trouble again?” Rick admonishes.

“Nah man, I’ve totally learned how to cover my tracks way better since the last time. Plus, I got a match.”

“Yo, way to bury the lead, my dude.” T.C. says. 

“So, who is our mystery man?”

* * *

“Alright Thomas, feel any more ready to tell me what I want to know?” Ivan questions.

Thomas gives him a measured, silent stare. 

“Have it your way. Peter, what do we have in store for Ms. Higgins?”

Peter pulls a small black case out from under the towel. It looks like something you would carry toiletries in when traveling. He unzips it and the two sides fall open like a book. He places it on top of the table and removes what looks like a popsicle stick, only one end is sharpened to a point. 

“Ahh, it’s been a while since you’ve used those, Peter.”

Peter gives a lopsided, nostalgic grin. To Magnum, it’s sick that Peter and Ivan are reliving a fond memory… of torture. 

Ivan turns to Magnum and Peter approaches Juliet. 

“Do you know there are nearly 17,000 nerve endings in one hand?” Ivan holds up his own hand and examines it as if he can see them all. “An amazing marvel, the human body. Don’t you think? And of those thousands of nerve endings in the hand, most of them are located in the fingertips.”

Magnum tries not to react but a picture is slowly forming in his mind of where this is going. If he’s right, this will be worse than electrocution. Higgins isn’t going to be able to set her jaw and stay quiet, of that he’s sure. 

As if reading his mind, Ivan spins to Higgins and says, “Valiant effort last time, really, my dear. But I expect that what we have in store for you now will be a... different experience for all of us.” He nods to Peter.

This time, Juliet’s hands are strapped in, palm down. Not only that, but beyond the wrist bindings, they tape her hand to the arm of the chair too. Only her fingers are free to wiggle. 

Peter grabs the pinky finger of her left hand and holds it between his own, pulling it painfully up. Slowly, he brings the tip of the wood to just under her nail, where it meets the skin underneath. Without warning, he quickly forces the wood in, separating nail from skin. 

Juliet screams through clenched teeth and can’t stop her eyes from watering. Peter lets go of her finger and walks back to the black case. The first wood shard is left sticking out of her pinky.

Juliet’s head hangs low, but she brings her eyes up to meet Thomas’s. She’s in pain but determined. He can tell she’s trying hard to be somewhere else in her mind. He wonders where it is that she goes. 

Ivan turns to Thomas and asks, “Anything yet?” with his eyebrows raised in anticipation. 

Magnum hates the smugness, as if Ivan knows he’ll cave eventually. Higgins will never forgive him if he does that though. Plus, she isn’t wrong—if he gives up what Ivan wants, that will seal Juliet’s fate. What he hasn’t told her is that Ivan needs Thomas alive. It isn’t just about information. If it gets to the point where he can’t take her torture, or she needs medical attention to live, he’ll trade himself for Juliet’s freedom. She’ll be livid, so he has to hold out hope for rescue. Two days and change already feels too long though. He wonders what progress his friends are making. 

“I can’t decide if I’m bored with this or if I feel a slow tension building. Either way, please continue, Peter.” With that, Ivan turns back to watch the action. 

Peter approaches Higgins, grabs her pinky again, and jams the over-sized splinter in even deeper. 

It hurts just as much with the second shove and Higgins is almost positive her nail is a goner. 

She tries to keep her head down so Thomas can’t tell exactly how much pain she’s in. She doesn’t want him to worry, but she knows that’s nearly impossible. Every so often she has to glance up at him to give him reassurance. She makes careful movements, only lifting her eyes, never showing him her full face. She tries to distract herself and go somewhere else—she’s back at Robin’s Nest with the lads, laughing as they chase Thomas down the beach—but she can’t commit to fully distracting her mind form the pain as she needs to keep an eye on the actual Thomas, alive and breathing in front of her, but looking like an absolute mess. Sure, he’s putting on a good show for Ivan, but she knows this is slowly killing him inside. 

She thinks about how in Afghanistan Thomas was usually the one tortured. It wasn’t necessarily to get information out of his friends, but it was meant to play mind games with them. While Thomas suffered through solitary confinement and beatings, she almost wonders if that was easier for him than this. If that’s the case, she’s certainly worried about how long he’s willing to watch her suffer. 

She sees movement in her periphery and Peter approaches with another stick. Juliet has the morbid thought that she’d much prefer drowning in koi pond water. That thought is confirmed when the second stick is inserted under another nail.

* * *

Late at night, when Rick and T.C. pull up a few houses down from Mitch Smith’s house, Katsumoto pulls up right behind them. 

It took much convincing to get Ethan to stay behind with Kumu and Eddie, but they can’t be responsible for taking care of others who are untrained in a situation like this. Reminding Ethan of the last time he was shot is enough to convince him that he should hang back, albeit reluctantly. 

Rick and T.C. go around back while Katsumoto approaches the front door. 

“Mr. Smith,” he calls, while banging on the door. “This is detective Katsumoto with HPD. Open up.”

He gets no response. Around the back he hears commotion. 

When he rounds a corner of the house T.C. has a man pinned to the ground and Rick has his gun drawn. 

Gordon crouches low, in front of the suspect. 

“Mitch Smith, I presume.”

All he gets is a snarl. 

“Just so you know, I am a detective, but I’m here in an unofficial capacity. These two gentlemen are private citizens. If you don’t answer my questions, I’m going to get back in my car and put out an APB for you, since you weren’t home. Then, these two former Marines are going to take you somewhere real special.”

Mitch looks at T.C. then Rick. He turns to Katsumoto. 

“What do you wanna know?”

Katsumoto turns to T.C. and says, “Stand him up.”

T.C. takes his knee off of Mitch’s back and pulls him to his feet.

“I want to know who hired you to steal that black Tahoe and tail Thomas Magnum.”

“Well, I don’t know who Thomas Magnum is, but I was approached to follow a red Ferrari.”

“By who?”

“I don’t know.”

“Mitch, I’m losing my patience here. I think you know I’m looking for all the information you have. If you’re going to keep making me ask questions, I might as well let these guys have their way with you.”

T.C. pulls Mitch’s arm tighter behind his back, really wrenching Mitch’s shoulder. 

“Okay, okay, easy,” he says. “Look, I’ll tell you what I know.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's going to get worse before it gets better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has taken on a life of it's own. I'll keep updating twice a week (Wednesday/Saturday seems to be my thing). Comments are welcome :)

Ivan doesn’t let Peter play with Juliet for too long this time. He sends Magnum back to their room but Juliet is taken in a different direction. 

Thomas doesn’t like that they’re separating them, but he isn’t surprised. The thought of what they could be doing to her has him spinning. That’s exactly what Ivan wants. Magnum tires not to spiral, he really does. His mind keeps flashing back to his past isolation and torture. He wonders if they’re trying to break her down further without him. He can’t stop seeing Ivan and Peter and Juliet. In his mind, Ivan joins in on the “fun.” Thomas can feel himself starting to hyperventilate. He needs to imagine something else. 

He thinks of the Tigers. He tries to picture the stadium. He imagines himself walking into Comerica Park, tickets in one hand, Juliet’s hand in his other. He pulls her through the crowd towards their seats. He looks over his shoulder and she throws him a brilliant smile in return. 

She’ll complain the entire game about not knowing the rules and she’ll tease him endlessly for all the superstitious rituals he’ll follow, but secretly she’ll love it. 

He opens his eyes and realizes he wants to actually take her to a Tigers game. Detroit is pretty far from Hawaii though. Maybe they can fly to California when the Tigers play the Athletics. That doesn’t seem unreasonable. He’s sure she’ll love spending some time in San Francisco. Now they just need to get out of here, he needs to go look up the schedule for the Tigers, convince her that this trip is absolutely necessary, and BAM!, they’re there. 

As if it’ll be that easy. 

He notices that his breathing has calmed down. This is how he spends his time without her—thinking of all the things he wants to do with her once they’re free. 

A few hours later he’s brought back to what he now thinks of as the torture room. When he steps through the doorway he sees her, and his body goes numb. 

She’s strung up from the ceiling by her wrists. Her toes just barley drag on the floor—enough to keep her from spinning, but not enough to take pressure off her hands. 

Her back is to him. They’ve removed her shirt and her tan sports bra is the only thing covering the rest of her torso. 

Ivan doesn’t say anything as the guards enter with Thomas. In fact, he barely acknowledges that Thomas is in the room. As Thomas gets closer, it looks like they’ve started without him. Juliet has angry red welts all over her back. Out of a shadow Peter looms towards Higgins and lashes out at her with a whip. The sound of leather hitting flesh isn’t pleasant. 

No one speaks. 

Peter paces around Higgins and every few passes he whips her again. Thomas winces every time. 

The next hit splits her skin. Thomas sees blood start to drip down her back. 

This pattern of Peter circling her, pacing back and forth, and lashing her when he feels moved to goes on for some time. Mostly her back just looks red and swollen, but every once in a while a new gash opens up. Thomas watches as blood runs from three open wounds.

When Peter whips her, blood shakes free of the leather each time as more coats it. 

Just as he’s going in for another strike, Thomas mumbles, “Wait.”

Peter pauses and looks at Ivan. 

Higgins is lucid enough to hear him and tries to interject, “Magnum, no.” It’s so weak a protest that Thomas knows he’s making the right choice. 

She sounds so broken, though she’s trying to pretend otherwise, but he knows he has to stop this. He’d rather she be pissed at him than see this go on. 

“Are you ready to talk?” Ivan asks.

“Yes, but you have to let her go.”

“She’s my insurance policy, Thomas.”

“You let her go, or I take what you want to the grave.” There’s venom in his words. Magnum motions to take a step towards Ivan but the guards restrain him. He feels like a wild animal. Adrenaline courses through him. “You want the information, you want me to take you to the location? Then you let her go.” He’s screaming now. He can’t stop himself. 

“Well, well, well. It looks like I really lucked out when I picked up you _and_ Ms. Higgins. At first I thought I needed to find better help, but as it turns out, she seems to be more than just a business partner. Quite the emotion I’m sensing right now.”

Ivan turns to Peter and says, “Alright, take her down.”

Peter walks over to the back wall and flips a lever down that immediately drops Juliet from the ceiling. She falls to her knees with the heavy chains still binding her wrists. 

Thomas looks at Ivan. Ivan nods to the guards. They release their hold on him and he runs to her. 

She’s a mess. As he unwraps the chain from around her wrists he sees that they rubbed her raw. Then there are her fingers, swollen and bloodied from her previous Peter encounter. Now she has the slashes across her back. He notices that the top of her jeans in the back are soaked with blood. 

She leans forward into him, head on his shoulder. He puts one hand on her waist and the other on the back of her head. 

“It’ll be okay. You’ll be okay,” he whispers to her. 

The fact that she isn’t yelling at him has him worried. 

“This is touching and all, but I’d like to get this show on the road—literally. Stand her up.”

The guards start walking towards them but Thomas holds up a hand and says, “I’ve got her.”

They hesitate and Ivan gives a shoulder shrug that seems to indicate it’s fine. 

Thomas pulls her to her feet with his hands holding her elbows. She looks up at him and he sees pain, but also anger. 

“Thomas, don’t do this,” she whispers.

“I have to.”

She shakes her head and won’t look at him.

“You’ll find me Juliet. I know you will.”

“Okay, I’m bored, let’s go. Take her and clean her up enough that she won’t get blood all over the car.”

The guards take her and walk her out of the room. Thomas wonders when he’ll see her again— _if_ he’ll see her again. 

Ivan approaches him and says, “Such a white knight in shining armor.”

Thomas sucker punches him across the face. It sends Ivan sideways and when he straightens again his lip is bloody. 

Peter pulls a gun out of his waistband and aims it at Magnum.

“It’s okay Peter, Thomas is just frustrated that he lost. We all know he can’t actually escape.” Ivan looks Magnum in the eyes as he says, “Pull any more stunts like that and I’ll let Peter have some fun with you, too.” He winks and then turns and leaves. Peter escorts Magnum back to his cell.

* * *

Magnum isn’t sitting more than fifteen minutes when he hears all kinds of commotion. 

There’s definitely gunfire in the hallway. 

A part of him wonders if Higgins is trying to make a daring escape. He hopes not—she’s in no condition for that. 

After more than two full days here though, he feels confident that gunfire can only mean T.C., Rick, and maybe even Katsumoto are here. Hopefully an entire SWAT team accompanies them. 

The door bursts open and Rick says, “You owe Robin another Ferrari.”

Magnum laughs and gets to his feet. Rick asks, “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, we need to find Higgins though.”

“Already ahead of you, T.C. has her. He took her to the medical team on standby outside.”

“And Ivan?”

“Ivan’s behind this?” Rick asks, surprise evident on his face. “Nah man, we haven’t seen him, just a bunch of guys in black tactical gear, big muscles, small brains. Most of them shot at SWAT so there aren’t many of them left to question.”

When they get outside Magnum spots T.C. but he doesn’t see Higgins. They walk over to him and Magnum asks, “Where is she?”

“An ambulance already left with her. I called Ethan and he’ll be waiting at the hospital for her arrival. Now let’s get you checked out, T.M.”

Thomas waves him off and says, “I’m fine.”

Katsumoto walks up and says, “Just let someone check you out while I take your statement.”

Magnum sees that he’s not going to win this argument, but he wants to get to Higgins. “You know what, Higgins thought I was concussed, and I am feeling a little dizzy on top of this headache that won’t go away. Maybe you should take me to the hospital.”

Katsumoto gives him a look that says he knows he’s lying, but he says, “Fine. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

Rick says, “We’ll be right behind you, buddy,” and he pats Magnum on the back before they head off in the direction of Rick’s car.

* * *

Because he’s been transported by ambulance, when he arrives at the hospital, it means he actually has to be checked out by a doctor. He begs T.C. and Rick to go check on Higgins while he’s being examined and filling in Katsumoto on the details of what happened. 

Once he finishes with his statement, Katsumoto gives him a serious look and says, “Magnum, you know this isn’t over, right?”

Thomas lets out an exasperated sigh and says, “Yeah. I know.”

Katsumoto continues, “Ivan knows you have what he wants and he knows he can get to you through the people you care about.”

Magnum stays silent because it feels like Katsumoto is building to something.

“You want to finish this? You have to be proactive about it rather than reactive. You’ve got to take the fight to him.”

“Gordy, you don’t know what you’re asking me to do.”

“Look, I know it must be serious. I know it’s going to be difficult, but I’m not sure you have any other choice. I’ll help you.”

This catches Magnum by surprise. 

“Gordy, I appreciate it man, but I can’t pull anyone else into this mess.”

“Magnum, you really think I haven’t already stepped in it with you. Plus, we all know things go more smoothly when you actually cooperate with law enforcement.”

Magnum holds up his hands and smiles as he says, “Whoa, whoa, you act like I never play nice with HPD. I thought we’d reached a new understanding.” He shakes his head. “But seriously Gordon, I’m not sure you can help. To finish this, I have to find something that Nuzo and I swore we’d never look for.”

“I’ve got some vacation time saved up.”

“I can’t ask you to do that. It’s too dangerous.”

“I think I can make up my own mind, Magnum. You can’t do this without backup. I know you’ll have T.C. and Rick, but you’ve got me now, too.”

“You’re serious?”

Katsumoto just raises his eyebrows and gives a small nod. 

“Okay, well, we’ve got no time to waste then. I’ll call Robin and get a plane ready for tomorrow. I’ll fill in Rick and T.C.”

Just then the boys enter the exam room. 

“Higgins?” Thomas asks.

“She’s okay,” T.C. says. “Ethan is with her. She’ll be here for a few more hours as they close up the cuts on her back and clean up the fingers that were messed with. Ethan said we should give her privacy while they stitch her up. I know you want to see her T.M., but she made us promise to take you home. She said she’d be back at Robin’s Nest later. Ethan said he’d take her.”

Magnum doesn’t like it, but he can’t really argue with it. He’s desperate to see her, but T.C. is right, he should give her privacy while they’re closing up the wounds on her back. He hates that Ethan is the one who gets to be with her right now though. He just wants to hold her hand, tell her he’s sorry, and be there for her. Instead he says, “Okay, take me home. I’ll fill you guys in on the way.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this one. I'd love to hear what you think!

Ethan’s so good to her in the hospital. He never leaves her side. He makes sure the four fingers that had wood spikes inserted into them are treated first, then he makes a plastic surgeon friend stitch up the gashes in her back. Supposedly there will be minimal scarring. The price of having a plastic surgeon sew you up though, she learns, is that they use tiny, precise stitches that take much more time than normal sutures would. After three hours of treatment, needles stuck into her to numb her, shots given to ward off infection, and skin pulled and tugged back into place, she’s more than ready to go home. 

She’s surprised Magnum hadn’t ignored her request and fought through Rick and T.C. to see her, but then again, she’s not surprised at all. If T.C. delivered her message—that Magnum was to head home and get some rest—then she knows he did it simply because she asked. 

Higgins is silent on the drive back to Robin’s Nest. 

After Ethan pulls into the driveway he turns to her and asks, “Ready?”

“No,” she says.

He looks confused. 

“Ethan.” She’s nervous, and tired, and sore, but she needs to do this. Her mind was secretly made up after she and Thomas had that heart-to-heart about her love life. Once Juliet makes her mind up about something she can’t go on faking it any more. “I… I’m so sorry.”

“You’re sorry. What for?” He gives her an easy smile. He really is very handsome. 

“I can’t move in with you.”

“Oh. That’s… no, of course. After everything that just happened you don’t have to think about that. I’m just glad that you’re okay.”

He reaches out and takes her hand in his. She lets him hold it. 

“It’s not just about moving in. I… when you asked, and I hesitated, well… I knew in my heart that something wasn’t right. But, you’re a good man, and I thought with more time, I’d be ready. I realized though that it’s not about needing more time, it’s that… it’s not right for me. I don’t know how to explain it other than it just being a gut feeling. Nothing is wrong, but deep down, it’s not exactly right, either. I’m so sorry. You’ve been so good to me. I owe you, really. You showed me how to open myself up again. I’m not sure I ever would’ve if not for you.”

She can tell Ethan needs time to process. He’s still holding her hand. He stares at their joined hands in his lap. He caresses the back of her hand with his thumb. 

After a prolonged, loaded silence he turns to her and says, “I did wonder… when you said you needed to think about it. Knowing about your past, that also seemed reasonable. I, I’m not going to try to convince you to stay in a relationship that you don’t feel is right. I have so much respect for you, but I want someone who wants me just as much as I want them.”

She squeezes his hand and says, “You deserve that, Ethan.” She offers him a reassuring smile. 

He offers her a sad but understanding one in return. 

She pulls her hand back, gives him one last glance, and moves to get out of the car. She hesitates though and turns back to him. “Thank you—for taking care of me.”

“Of course.”

She moves once more to open the door but he stops her when he says, “Juliet.”

“Hmm?” She looks at him over her shoulder, one foot on the driveway, the other still in the car. 

“You should tell Thomas how you feel.”

“Thomas?”

“Yeah,” he pauses, glances down briefly, then looks directly at her when he says, “I think you might be in love with him.” If there ever was a deer in the headlights moment, this is Juliet’s. She’s frozen by the comment, entirely caught off guard. Ethan continues with, “You don’t have to confirm or deny it. I realize this might be the first time anyone is bringing it to your attention, but, just think on it. I want you to be happy.”

With that, she exits the car and closes the door. Ethan gives her one last smile through the window before he drives off. 

When she gets to her bedroom she’s a bit at a loss with what to do with herself. It’s just past 2:00 am and she should sleep. She wants to shower first but she can’t get her stitches wet. She can at least wash her lower half and then sponge bathe her upper body. She decides she’ll wash her hair in the sink, head upside down. 

Cleaning herself in three distinct phases takes time. It also gives her a chance to think and really process everything that’s happened over the last few days. She reflects back on the guys saving them. Once she was past the pain of being whipped and fully alert again after rescue, she was rip-roaring mad at Thomas. How fair was it that she was tortured and then going to be released without him, only to be saddled with trying to track him down as a psychopath took him across the globe? By now some of that anger has subsided. She still can’t fathom his choice. Though she does wonder what she would have done if the roles were reversed.

Right now, she desperately wants to see him. She feels like she’s under water and the harder she swims, the farther the surface seems from her. If she could just lay eyes on him then she’d know he made it through okay. Then she could breathe. 

Well, why can’t she see him? He’s only just next door. She shouldn’t wake him though. Plus, there’s the other issue—what Ethan said. 

She’s not in love with Thomas. Is she in love with Thomas? That would be absurd. Then again, would it? She’s frustrated with herself.

All she wants to do right now is be with him. She’ll decide what that means later.

She dresses in yoga pants and a loose t-shirt and heads for the guest house. 

The lights are on downstairs. He must’ve got home a good four hours ago. He shouldn’t be awake still. 

The door’s unlocked and Higgins walks inside. 

When he hears the door he pauses in typing and listens, turning his body toward the sound. He’s just finishing up some last-minute details for his plan and he wonders if one of the guys forgot something or wants to go over the details again. Instead, Higgins walks in. He’s frozen for an instant before he pops out of his seat.

“Higgy?”

“Expecting someone else at nearly three in the morning, Magnum?” She raises an eyebrow at him and one side of her mouth quirks up. 

He laughs but walks slowly towards her, almost like he’s afraid to approach her. “I just… I wasn’t expecting… “

He seems so tongue-tied.

She decides to save him from himself and walks the remaining distance until they’re right in front of each other, much closer than they normally ever get in their day-to-day interactions. Slowly, so as not to spook him, she reaches one arm over his shoulder and the other around his waist and hugs him close. She wraps him up as tight as she can. It takes him a second to make the reciprocal movement, but eventually he does, careful to avoid her back. She presses her face into his neck and breathes him in. She squeezes him for a longer time than feels strictly platonic, but she can’t help it—it finally feels like she’s broken through the surface of water and can take a full, cleansing inhale. Her lungs revel in his scent and how sturdy she feels absorbing everything that is Thomas Magnum. 

They separate slowly. She trails the hand that was around his neck down his chest. He tracks it and when it gets lower he takes it in both of his and holds on tight. 

He raises his eyes and he looks like a wounded puppy when he asks, “Are you okay?” It’s so soft and sincere and broken that she wants to cry for him. Instead, she turns so her back is to him, causing their hands to separate. She crosses her arms over her chest, hands at her shoulders, and starts pulling up the back of her t-shirt. 

Magnum understands and steps closer to grab the hem and keep lifting. He holds the fabric high with his left hand and his eyes rove her back. Though she can’t see him, she can feel him looking—can almost sense the path his gaze takes. A shiver runs through her when his right hand lightly trails over the stitches of one of the gashes. It’s a ghost of a touch. When his hand leaves her back, the other lowers her shirt and drops it back in place. She misses the feeling of being connected to him. 

She turns back around to face him and he looks so contrite as he says, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t do that,” she says, firmly. 

He’s looking down at the floor so she reaches out and cups his cheek. He leans into her touch before he looks up.

“Thomas, you didn’t do this to me. I won’t let you take the blame for someone who’s a complete and utter lunatic. If you blame yourself you’re only giving him more power and playing right into how he wants you to feel.” She drops her hand from his cheek. 

He chuckles and says, “Okay, okay, I give. You’re right. As always.” He holds up his hands in surrender. 

She changes gears and asks, “What are you still doing up. I’m positive the doctor must’ve diagnosed you with a mild concussion. You need sleep.”

“I… umm… “

“Can’t sleep?”

“No. No, it’s not that.”

“Come on, Magnum. Spit it out.”

“I’m planning for tomorrow.”

“Is that some kind of metaphor?”

“No.”

She notices a physical reaction from him, as if he’s gearing up for a fight—or he’s preparing to run. A fight or flight response doesn’t seem promising. 

“Magnum. Are you going to tell me, or not?”

He heaves a sigh and says, “I was really hoping not to?” He throws an impish grin her way. 

“Trying to be cute is not going to get you out of this.”

She crosses her arms and uses one of her patented stern looks on him. 

“I’m finishing up some arrangements for the morning.”

“What’s going on in the morning?”

“Me and the guys—we’re going to end this.”

“Excuse me?” Her eyebrows can’t rise any further. 

“Ivan isn’t going to stop. And now he knows how to get to me. I can’t risk putting the people I care most about in danger. I can’t just sit and wonder when he’s going to make a move. I need to act.”

“And you need to act _tomorrow_?” she asks incredulously.

“Higgins, this can’t wait.”

“What do you mean? Of course it can. Slow down. Plan this out. You know Ivan is going to need time to regroup.”

“Exactly. He’s off balance. He won’t expect this.”

“And nothing I can say will change your mind?”

“No.” He’s brave enough to look her in the eyes when he answers. She sees that he’s resolute in his choice. 

“Well, going to ask me to come, then?”

“No.” he says it clearly and with finality. 

She’s hurt and confused. “You can’t be serious.”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but I mean it. You’re injured. You need to stay here and heal.”

“Magnum, be smart about this. At the very least, I’m the only one of the Ohana with the tech skills that you’ll need.”

“How do you know that I’ll need someone tech-savvy?”

She shoots him a look as if to say, _Oh, please_. 

“For your information, Rick has a hacker friend who’s joining us. He’s the reason the guys found us, so, I think we have tech covered.”

“Are you dense or just trying to push me away right now?” she demands.

He can see how worked up she is. That’s not how he wanted this to go. When she walked through the door earlier the pure happiness he felt was hard to quantify. All he knows is that his head isn’t lost in the clouds when she’s near. Knowing she’s safe and having her in his arms makes everything feel as if all is right in the world. Except nothing is right. Not yet. 

He doesn’t want to put her in harm's way again. Damn her for knowing exactly what he’s doing, but he has to push her away to keep her safe. He doesn’t like what he’s about to say, but it has to be done.

“You need to stay here and let Ethan nurse you back to health.”

“You’re being a bloody child right now,” she says with a raised voice through clenched teeth. She even gives a little foot stomp as she says it. 

“I’m not the one throwing a tantrum over not being invited.”

“I know what you’re doing and it won’t work.” She sees right through him so she tells herself to calm down. Getting emotional is what he wants, after all. 

“Is it wrong that I don’t want to worry about you? That I want to make sure you’re nowhere near this?” He tries to make her feel guilty but he’s the one being carried away by his own guilt for how he’s treating her. 

She changes tactics. “Thomas, don’t let your fear control you,” she begs. “After three years together, we both know that you and I are stronger together than we are apart.”

“Oh yeah, is that how it felt—like we were stronger together—when you were being tortured?” Now he’s the one getting worked up. He can’t control his volume and his eyes start to water. He will not let himself cry in front of her. He won’t. It’s not that he’s embarrassed, it’s that he can’t let her know that she’s getting to him because then she won’t let this go. He needs her to let this go. He needs her safe. 

“Is that a serious question? Yes, of course it felt like we were stronger together. Who was there to take your mind off of being stuck in that god-for-saken room? Who helped you sleep that first night? Who distracted you when you wanted to avoid thinking about being captured? You don’t think I knew that you were on the verge of a panic attack that would have put you right back in Afghanistan in your mind? And who held me and told me it would be okay and stayed silent and strong in the face of an absolute nutter trying to break the both of us down?” She feels tears running freely down her cheeks now. She can’t remember the last time she cried. 

This night isn’t turning out how she thought it would. All she wanted was to see him, touch him, know that he was okay. Tell him that she really listened—deep down in her heart—when they talked about love. That she ended it with Ethan tonight. That the only person she wanted to be with after everything that happened was standing in front of her picking a fight because he was letting fear get the best of him. 

He stares at her blankly.

“I can see that I’m not going to change your mind.”

He purses his lips, puts his hands on his hips, and looks away from her, but he can’t prevent a lone tear from sliding down his cheek. 

“Fine Thomas, have it your way. Let Ivan wreck something precious.” She sucks in a breath as she finishes with, “I’ve never known you to be a coward, which must mean there’s more to it than just worry over Ivan using me against you. You don’t want to tell me? Fine. But I’m not going to just sit back and watch you crumble.”

With that she turns and leaves.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our gang is off to solve their Ivan problem.

The next morning, at the air strip, Thomas is exhausted. He took an hour-long nap before having to get up to meet the guys for their 6:00 am departure. As if he hadn’t been wrecked enough from being held hostage and put through an emotional ringer, his conversation with Higgins plays on a painful loop in his head. She’s not wrong. He is being a coward. He knows it. He just doesn’t have the time to overcome that at the moment. 

He sees T.C. drive up and then Rick and Eddie jump out of the van. All they need is Katsumoto and they'll be ready to roll. 

Instead, he sees a distinctly familiar Range Rover driving towards them. When the license plate, Robin-6, comes into view, he starts getting worked up. 

He turns to the guys and asks, “All right, who gave her the details?”

All three avoid eye contact. T.C. pretends he left something in the van. Rick asks Eddie if he needs help with his gear.

When Juliet gets out of the vehicle she doesn’t acknowledge Thomas, she simply grabs her bag and makes to walk past him onto the plane. 

He loosely grabs her bicep as she walks by and in a low grumble asks, “What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

She can feel his breath on her ear. It _definitely_ does something to her. She ignores that and turns her head to face him—their eyes lock in a close, intense stare-down. 

“If you didn’t want me coming, I suppose your tech guy should’ve done a better job covering your tracks.” The smugness is typical Higgins. She continues with, “When I went back to the main house last night I hacked into the FAA database to get the flight plans for Robin’s plane. If you don’t want Ivan following you, seems like you ought to hide your trail a bit better. Don’t worry, I cleaned it up.” Her air of superiority feels like an all-out assault. 

Juliet glances at Eddie with a smirk and Thomas glances at him with annoyance. 

Eddie holds up his hands in defense and says, “Whoa hey, let’s not brutally attack my hacking skills please. Rick said he’d catch me up this morning on the plane. I didn’t know we’d already started working before we even left. Cut a guy some slack. Jeez”

Higgins turns back to Magnum and says, “See what happens when you work with amateurs?” and moves past him onto the plane.

“Still here, and I can hear you,” Eddie shouts to her retreating back. 

Rick slaps a hand on Eddie’s shoulder and says, “She takes a while to warm up, but I think you’re really gonna like her, kid. Come on, let’s go.” Rick and Eddie board too. 

T.C. approaches Thomas and asks, “You gonna be able to handle this, brother?”

“She hasn’t really left me much choice.” He rolls his eyes at Juliet’s behavior. 

“Come on, man. You didn’t really expect her to sit this one out, did you? You’re a lot smarter than that.”

Magnum sighs and says, “I just want to keep her safe.”

“Thomas, you and I both know, Higgy don’t need us protecting her.”

Just then Gordon pulls up and they’re ready to go.

* * *

Magnum and Higgins sit at opposite ends of the plane. He watches as she works with the newest member of their team. For as harsh as she was with Eddie, they sit close together, each hunched over a computer, heads bent towards each other. They find a rhythm of mumbling, looking at the other’s screen, nodding, and typing away. Magnum is aggravated that they seem suddenly inseparable. Since everyone else has gotten more sleep than him, except maybe Higgins, Thomas decides he’ll try to sleep while everyone else works. It’ll take them essentially a full day to get to Afghanistan. They’ll stop to refuel in Shanghai. Either way, the six of them are stuck with each other—sleep seems like the best way to avoid having difficult conversations. He gets up and closes the dividing curtain, pulls down all the window shades, and curls up under a blanket.

* * *

No one argues when Magnum makes his way to the back of the plane. It’s clear he’s slept little and he’s, according to Rick, “very cranky.” 

Robin’s plane has two distinct parts to the cabin. The front is where you can get business done. There are six luxury chairs, three on the right side and three on the left side. Their setup mirrors each other: one chair faces a table and then two more chairs sit across from it, also facing the table. The only difference on the opposite side of the aisle is that the standard work table is replaced with a low coffee table. 

Higgins and Eddie sit next to each other, laptops on the work table, with Rick across from them in the single chair. The single chair has swivel capabilities since it doesn’t have a companion next to it. Rick takes advantage of that until he gets bored. 

Katsumoto and T.C. sit across from each other on the other side. Behind them is a fully stocked mini fridge. Behind Juliet and Eddie is a fully stocked cabinet of food. Behind the fridge and cabinet are the dividers to the next section of the plane.

This part is more like a living room. There are two long couches along either side. Thomas sleeps on one of the couches. At least, that’s what Higgins assumes, since he closed the privacy curtain after about five minutes of being airborne.

She’d like to be asleep on the other couch, but she’s finishing up work with Eddie. Oh and also, she has a pretty visceral reaction every time she looks at Thomas, so she’s happy not to be in his immediate presence. She knows her need for sleep will eventually win out. The other four are semi-well rested. They won’t need to sleep until the second leg of the trip. She’s not looking forward to the fact that it might be her and Thomas who are the only people awake at some point. 

Just then, Juliet can’t stifle a yawn she’s been trying to tamp down for the last few minutes. 

Eddie pauses in his typing and says, “Hey look, there’s not much to finish up here—I’ve got it. I know you don’t know me very well, and I know I’m young, and I know I’m new to the group, but I got your back. Go get some sleep. I’ll let you check my work later,” he finishes with a smirk. He’s right, she is going to check his work later. She laughs at the fact that he’s already somewhat figured her out. 

Rick chimes in with, “Yeah, come on Higgy, go get some rest.” He nods his head towards the back part of the cabin. 

Not only is she exhausted, but she’s achy. Her back hurts, her wrists hurt, and her fingers hurt—some more than others—typing doesn’t help. 

“Okay,” she says simply. She stands and makes her way to the back.

When she steps through the curtain she sees Thomas—his face is smushed into a pillow, a blanket hangs half on him, half off him, one arm drapes off the couch, and he’s completely passed out.

She can’t help but stare at him. 

So many thoughts get sucked into the riptide that is her mind that she has trouble processing which to focus on. Eventually one thought floats to the surface. She wonders what makes her different in his mind from Rick, or T.C., or Gordon, or even Eddie. Ivan could use any one of them against Thomas. Yet he’s so ready to have everyone join him on this mission except her. Part of her wants to feel insulted. She can handle herself, perhaps better than any of them—hasn’t she proved that to him through years of working together and through what she just endured? She wishes he’d explain his thinking to her. She wishes he’d tell her why he’s so scared. She wishes he’d take back the power that Ivan has stolen from him. 

Her eyes feel heavy so she lays herself down on the other couch, curling up under a blanket. While watching him sleep she drifts off quickly into her own heavy, dreamless slumber. 

She only wakes many hours later when they touch down in Shanghai. She can’t believe she slept for nearly nine hours. She knows she needed it, but it feels like she should’ve been doing… well, something. 

She’s the only one in the back. Thomas must’ve woken up at some point. She wonders if he ran the moment he realized it was just the two of them back here, even if she was asleep. 

There are voices up front so she stands to join the others. Rising, she notes that she’s stiff, but less sore than before. 

Up front, there’s only Gordon and Rick. 

“Where is everyone?” she asks.

“Hopped off to stretch their legs while we wait for our new pilot,” Gordon says. 

“Sleep okay?” Rick asks. 

“Yeah, great actually.” She hesitates but then asks, “How much sleep did Magnum get?”

“He only woke up about an hour ago,” Gordon answers.

She nods noncommittally but in her head she’s relieved. 

Just then T.C., Magnum, and Eddie get back on the plane with the pilot close behind them. 

“Everyone accounted for?” the pilot asks.

“Yes sir, we’re all set,” T.C. says. 

Everyone takes a seat with Juliet, Eddie, and Rick back where they started. That leaves Magnum to join Katsumoto and T.C. across the way. 

Once they’re in the air Rick says, “So Thomas, when exactly are you going to tell us what we’re trying to retrieve?”

“I can’t tell you because I don’t actually know specifically what it is we’re retrieving.”

“Care to elaborate?” Gordon prompts.

“It’s back on the base where we were stationed before we were taken.”

“What makes you think it’s still there?” T.C. questions. 

“Oh trust me, it’s there. Nuzo and I put it somewhere that’s unlikely to be disturbed. But remember our cover, we’re visiting the base because we’re passing through to meet Robin, who’s on assignment. We stay one night to talk with the soldiers about our experiences and to thank them for their service.”

Eddie raises his hand as if he’s still in school and asks, “Ahhh, what about those of us who weren’t in the service.”

“Don’t worry, you’re accompanying us because Robin needs each of you. Higgins, you’re our field expert who knows the land and will take us to Robin. Gordon, you’re part of his private security team—Robin insisted we have at least one escort. Eddie, you’re clearly his tech guy. You film and record everything for him.”

Everyone nods along.

“Look, the less you say about what it is we’re doing, the better. Just explain that Robin made you sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

Rick asks, “Where exactly is Robin right now, really?”

“He’s on assignment in Africa,” Juliet says. 

Eddie asks, “Why does Robin Master’s still work with all the money he has?”

The guys laugh and T.C. explains, “If you knew Robin, you’d know he can’t sit still. Sure, he’ll mingle with high society, but only for so long. He feels most at home lost in the woods, jungle, or desert somewhere, finding a story to tell.”

* * *

They kill some of the last seven hours by playing poker. They all head to the back so they can sit three and three to a couch and use the coffee table in between as the poker table. Pretzels and cookies become their chips to place bets.

Eddie is the first to get tired an hour in and head back up front to sleep in one of the luxury chairs. Rick follows him soon after. 

Once Gordon has won all the pretzels and cookies, Higgins says, “Magnum and I will let you two get some rest on the couches and head up front.” Thomas doesn’t look pleased but he follows her. 

When she gets up front she has a problem. Rick and Eddie are back in their same spots, sound asleep. She could go sit with them, as that’s the only other place she’s been sitting and Thomas knows this, but it might look passive aggressive since those two are asleep and Thomas is clearly awake and stuck with her. She knows she has to sit with him, but she feels like she’s in elementary school—she’d prefer they each pout and send sullen half-glances at each other from across the aisle. She rolls her eyes at herself and takes one of the chairs across from Thomas. He studiously avoids eye contact and opens a _White Knight_ novel to read. Now she rolls her eyes at him, takes out her headphones, and pops them into her ears. Two can play at this childish game, for now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang finds their first clue to lead them towards finishing what Ivan started. Are people still with me on this story? :)

When they arrive at the base it's midday. Since they’re staying less than 24 hours, they’ve been given a large temporary tent with six cots inside. They’re lucky it’s spring and on the warmer side, sitting right around 70 degrees. Regardless, they’re provided a space heater as the temperature is sure to drop during the night. 

While Magnum, Rick, and T.C. mingle with the rest of the soldiers and share stories, Juliet, Eddie, and Gordon hang back in the tent to keep a low profile. Thomas has explained that they can’t retrieve what they’re looking for until nighttime. To do so, he tells them he’ll need a long stick, either with something sticky on the end of it, or some sort of claw. Everyone looks at him like he’s crazy but Juliet says she’ll see what she can find by wandering around, under the radar, of course. 

Later, on their way to the mess hall for dinner, they pass the old tetherball pole. Rick turns to T.C. and says, “What do you say? After dinner activity?”

“You really wanna go through the agony of defeat one more time, Orville?”

“I don’t know man, I feel like I can really take you this time.”

* * *

They draw a big after-dinner crowd. Some want to hear more about their time as POWs, some want to see the tetherball battle between T.C. and Rick, and others want to know more about Robin Masters and his _White Knight_ books. 

They all honestly have a great time. Gordon and Eddie hang close to Juliet, who can actually discuss Robin with sound knowledge, so they let her do the talking. 

Rick and T.C. are playing best two-out-three and Rick actually takes the first game. There is definitely some money on the line—the longer the game goes on, the larger the crowd from the base becomes. 

Thomas can’t help but smile. For a few hours, they all get to let their guard down. It might seem strange since they’re not exactly honest about why they’re here, but oddly, he sees all his friends grinning from ear to ear. Juliet even offers him a smile from across the way. He marvels at that small miracle. 

After T.C. absolutely obliterates Rick in the third and final game, it’s late. The Ohana tell everyone they need to get an early start so they say goodnight. 

Thomas sets an alarm on his phone for 1:30 am and suggests everyone try to get some rest.

* * *

Once they’re all awake and dressed in dark clothing, they huddle together in the tent to go over the plan. 

“Okay, Eddie, you’ll track heat signatures via the satellite you redirected earlier from inside the safety of the tent,” Thomas says.

“Got it,” Eddie replies. 

“Gordon, you have the comms you ‘borrowed’ from HPD?”

“Yeah, right here. And I really did borrow them. You know I’m returning them when we get back, right?”

“Ahh, Gordy, my man, you do know Thomas’s track record with things borrowed from others, correct?” Rick asks.

Katsumoto snaps the case shut containing the ear pieces as Magnum quickly retracts his hand.

“Magnum, look me in the eyes and promise me that all six come back in one piece.”

Thomas opens his mouth to speak but the brief hesitation before he does gives Rick the opportunity to jump back in. He puts his hand on Magnum’s chest and gently pushes him aside. “Hey!” Thomas complains.

“Look, Gordy, T.C. and I will cover the—let’s be optimistic and call it—two pairs of comms that you won’t get back with our winnings from the tetherball game.”

T.C. says, “Come on, man,” and throws his hands in the air, pacing away from them.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, did you guys hustle a base full of honorable servicemen and women?” Thomas asks incredulously. 

“Look,” Rick explains, “they were going to place bets either way. Some people would win, some people would lose, so T.C. and I decided we both wanted to be winners today. Plus, congrats, there’s enough here to cover your bar tab, plus the two pairs of comms you’re going to owe Katsumoto.”

“Gentleman, can we please get on with business?” Higgins asks.

Gordon gives everyone their ear pieces. 

Magnum turns to Higgins and asks, “Were you able to get me what I need?”

“Well since I have no real idea what you’re trying to do, I gathered a whole assortment of objects. Hopefully some of them will do.”

Higgins walks over to her cot and pulls back the blanket to reveal some PVC pipe, a long length of thick paracord, a coil of wire, a pack of chewing gum, a roll of duct tape, and a few other items. Thomas picks up one of the PVC pipes—he doesn’t love that it’s white, but he does like that each one looks to be about six feet in length.

“The pipe and the duct tape will work. I’m also gonna need to be on someone’s shoulders.” 

Everyone looks at T.C.

“Held that detail back until the last minute on purpose, didn’t you T.M.?” T.C. eyes Thomas skeptically.

Thomas offers a guilty mea-culpa shoulder shrug. He continues with, “Higgins, Katsumoto, and Rick, you guys go to your posts around the base, make sure the coast is clear, and be on the lookout for anyone headed in my direction”

“Magnum, where exactly is it that you and T.C. will be?”

“The tetherball pole.”

* * *

He’s sure that if anyone could see them, they’d think he and T.C. look absolutely insane. It’s the middle of the night, they’re dressed in all black, Thomas is on T.C.’s shoulders, he has two bright white PVC pipes duct taped together, and one end has a wad of duct tape, sticky-side out, attached to it. That end is currently being plunged down the hollow inside of the tetherball pole, white PVC pipe wobbling until enough of it is inside. Eventually, Thomas meets resistance. The pipe is much narrower than the pole so he makes sure to move it around as much as he can, hoping that what he came for sticks to the duct tape. When he pulls the full length back up, he sees what he wants. An aluminum cigar tube encased in bubble wrap is stuck to the duct tape. He pulls it free and tells everyone, “Got it. Meet back in the tent.”

* * *

“Brother, you gotta be kidding me? You hid a secret code inside a cigar tube inside the tetherball pole?” T.C. says with amazement.

Thomas sighs and says, “Yeah, and I think it’s time for me to tell you what this is really all about.” He looks at Rick and T.C. when he says, “You remember the Imad Bashir mission?”

T.C. nods and Rick says, “That’s what this is about? I don’t get it.”

“Yeah, he’s been dead close to eight years. His secrets died with him.” T.C. states. 

“It’s not that simple,” Magnum explains. 

“Someone want to fill us in on the details?” Higgins says.

Thomas starts the story. “Eight years ago the U.S. government picked up chatter about an Afghani with knowledge about a weapon of mass destruction. Everyone was in a race to get to him first, we’re talking Russia, Germany, Great Britain, China, Iraq—honestly, the list seemed endless. Bashir had been hiding out in India, but when his cover was blown, we got word that he was back in Afghanistan. He felt like he’d have a better chance of evading capture in a land he knew with people who were his allies. We found him in Kabul. Rick set up on a roof in case we ran into anyone else and needed sniper support. T.C. kept watch from the vehicle, and Nuzo and I moved in on the target. The job was to take him alive. When Nuzo and I busted in, Bashir was waiting for us and he had something set up to take out our communication with each other. Nuzo and I couldn’t talk to Rick or T.C.”

“So you got into a gun fight with him?” Gordon asks.

“No, that’s not how I mean it. He was sitting calmly, gun in his hand, but resting on top of a table for us to see that he wasn’t pointing at anyone. He gave Nuzo and I a good lookover and then said, ‘Ah, the Americans. I was hoping for you or the Brits. Lucky me.’ He ignored us when we told him to put his hands up. Then he said, ‘I thought I did everything right. I was trying to protect people, but I trusted the wrong ones. I intend for this secret to die with me, yet I know there are parties out there who will relentlessly pursue this.’ Then he wrote something down on the notepad sitting on top of the table.”

Thomas pauses in his story. 

“Then what happened?” Eddie asks, enraptured with this tale of espionage. 

Rick and T.C. know the ending and lower their heads. 

Thomas says, “Then he shot himself in the head.”

Everyone takes a moment to collect themselves. 

Rick breaks the silence by saying, “I thought you and Nuzo told us Bashir didn’t say anything, he just pulled his gun on you so Nuzo shot him.”

“Look, Bashir wanted the secret to die with him. As far as anyone else knew, it did. Nuzo and I wondered if we should destroy the paper, but Bashir left a message with us as an insurance policy. If the Russians got to him first, I have to believe he wouldn’t have said or done anything, he would’ve just ended it. We didn’t read what was on the paper, and the more people who knew there was still a link, the more danger there would be, so Nuzo and I made a pact to take what happened with Bashir to the grave. When he got back to the base, Nuzo put the paper in his cigar tube, put a layer of bubble wrap around it so it wouldn’t bang around inside the pole, and then we put that mission out of our minds.”

“Thomas, if you and Nuzo were the only two people who know what happened, and Nuzo is dead, then how the hell does Ivan know?” Rick says. 

“I’ve been asking myself the same question. Look, the news about Bashir was huge gossip in the spy world back then. We don’t know Ivan’s real backstory so we don’t know what he knew back then, where he was, or who he was with. What I do know is that we met up with Robin soon after and you and T.C. told him about that mission—word had gotten out and Robin put two-and-two together and figured out we were involved. It seemed innocent enough since Bashir was dead. Robin wrote about it as small aside in one of his novels. I went back and found the passage. To the average person it means nothing. Just Robin building character background. To Ivan, now that he knows who the White Knight is, it gave him a hunch that I knew more, so he came for me.”

Juliet suddenly feels guilty—she realizes that Thomas wasn’t ignoring her on the plane, but doing some homework on what brought them all to this moment. 

“Seems the only thing left to do is read the message.” She says.

Thomas takes out the slip of paper, unrolls it, and stares at it confused. 

“Well, what’s it say?” Rick asks. 

“PS Castle of Popes.” He puts the paper down, lays the roll of duct tape on one end and sits the pack of chewing gum on the other end so that it stays open. Everyone hovers over it. 

“Well what on earth does that mean?” Rick throws his hands up, immediately frustrated. 

Eddie offers, “I think it means, ‘hey guys, PS, go to the castle of the popes.’ So uh, anyone know where that is?”

Juliet says, “Well, the _Palace_ of the Popes is in the South of France.”

“But why would he write ‘castle’ if he meant ‘palace’?” Gordon wonders aloud. 

T.C., who’s remained quiet this whole time, says, “I know what it means.”

Everyone turns to look at him.

“PS doesn’t stand for postscript. It stands for Paul Signet.”

“Who is Paul Signet?” Rick asks.

“A French Neo-Impressionist painter,” Higgins offers. 

“Okay, I still don’t understand why you think PS means the painter,” Rick says.

“Because,” T.C. responds, “he has a painting called, Le Château de Papes that loosely translates to—”

“—the Castle of the Popes,” Magnum finishes. 

He holds up his hand and points at T.C. as he says, “You’re a genius man, that actually makes so much sense.”

“Why? What else are you holding back T.M.?”

“Right before he wrote that down, Bashir said ‘Just remember, it’s all how you frame it.’ Obviously Nuzo and I thought he meant what the American government would say about his death.” He pauses for a moment before he continues with, “Now that we have this slip of paper, I think it means we’re about to go steal a painting—or, the frame, at least.”

Eddie, who has been typing away in the background for the last minute, says, “Guys, looks like we’re going to Paris. The Musee d’Orsay, to be exact.”

“Okay, we have to be smart about this,” Magnum says. “By the time we leave tomorrow morning, we’ll have been gone for more than two days. If Ivan is keeping tabs, he’s going to know we went somewhere. His best guess is going to be Afghanistan. He asks around enough, he’ll know we ended up here. I’m sure we’re still ahead of him, but his next move will be to track us. He’ll undoubtedly uncover our bogus story about Robin and either think we’re A) looking for something here, B) going to meet Robin at his real location in Africa, or C) somewhere else entirely that he hasn’t discovered yet. The first two options are easiest to check out but still time-consuming, so we know he’ll start there. Now, if we all go straight to Paris, that’s easy enough to discover. Here’s my thought: T.C., you fly Robin’s plane to Barcelona, leave it there, then off the books you rent something else you can fly and meet us in Paris. Rick, you head to Milan then rent a car and drive from there. I’ll head to Berlin and take a train the rest of the way.”

“I’ll likely be there first and can do some recon so I’ll take Eddie with me,” Rick says. 

“Great idea,” Magnum responds. 

“I’ll go with T.C.” Gordon says. 

There’s a one second pause that everyone notices but no one mentions. In that moment it becomes clear without saying so that Magnum’s friends conspired against him to make sure he’s alone with Higgins.

Juliet and Thomas make brief eye contact but each look away rather quickly. 

Rick claps his hands together and says, “Alright, let’s everyone get a few more hours of sleep before we head out. This is gonna be fun.”

‘Fun’ isn’t the word Thomas would use.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnum and Higgins travel to their next destination in pursuit of answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, thanks for sticking with me. I hope everyone enjoys the Miggy-ness of this chapter. Please let me know what you think!

Magnum doesn’t know what he wants to say to Higgins, but the seven hour plane trip to Berlin doesn’t have them sitting next to each other, so he’s granted a reprieve. Well, they’re sort of next to each other, but there happens to be an aisle in between them. Talking across it would mean a lot of people hearing their conversation. Juliet is working anyways. She has to cover their tracks while also leaving misleading breadcrumbs behind. Plus, she’s in contact with Eddie to make sure T.C. and Gordon are set since the pair don’t have—as Eddie would put it—a tech guru with them. She chuckles thinking about what a goof Eddie is. Getting back to work, Juliet pulls up a layout of the museum and sends it to Magnum’s phone for him to examine, along with all of the museum’s security features. They’re both busy, but they’re both very clearly happy to be busy because how exactly are they supposed to start this conversation?

It becomes somewhat unavoidable though when they’re on the train. They’re traveling overnight and it will take a little over ten hours to reach Paris. Juliet booked them a sleeper cabin with two twin beds.

When they enter the room there is, of course, one double bed. Thomas looks stricken. Juliet saves him from his agony by explaining, “They’re all double beds that can be split into twins by removing the mattress topper and shoving it in the closet. We’ll just need to ask for two new sheet sets, that’s all.” She tries to offer him a friendly smile but he gives her a blank nod. 

She can’t take this. Sure, there’s often tension between them. They bicker day in and day out, but they rarely ever fight with each other. They have disagreements, hold things back from each other, but those things always come to light and they often lead to moving heart-to-hearts. This is different. Thomas is the one who always wants to talk so she has no idea how to handle it when he’s closed himself off. How does he get her to open up when she’s in a mood? If he's not pestering her, then he tries to distract her so she’s not thinking about whatever it is that’s bothering her. She might as well start there.

She turns to him and says, “Look, I know I want to talk, and I know you don’t want to talk. There’s no real compromise in what either of us wants so how about we stop working, go to dinner, and talk about anything other than the events of the last week?”

“You really think that’s possible?” He sounds both hopeful and doubtful. 

“I think if this train serves alcohol it’s certainly a possibility.”

He laughs out loud and it’s good to hear. 

“Come on, let’s go get a table,” she says.

“After you.” He opens the door and holds his arm out to let her pass in front of him.

* * *

Right after they’re seated the waiter approaches and asks what they’d like to drink in German. 

Juliet responds in German asking for, “Two shots of whiskey and a bottle of your best pinot noir.”

Thomas hears whiskey and pinot noir and raises his eyebrows while his shoulders shake in a silent laugh.

“Right away, miss,” the waiter says, then leaves to fetch their order. 

“Okay first, exactly how many languages do you speak? Second, one alcohol isn’t enough? And third, how hungover do you want to be tomorrow?”

She offers him a genuine smile—it feels like it’s been days, at least, since she felt this weightless in his presence, like they’re slowly drifting back towards each other. She feels silly for smiling so much but she can’t turn it off, and neither can he. He’s sitting across from her, beaming.

“Well look, half a bottle of wine each hasn’t taken us down before. I don’t think one shot of whiskey on top of that is going to be the tipping point, do you?”

“It might just be the _tipsy_ point.” He tries hard to say it with a straight face.

She legitimately snorts at his lame joke. Her laughter is contagious and he starts in too. They get carried away with their giggling. They have to wipe tears from their eyes when the waiter returns.

After the drinks are dropped off, Thomas picks up his shot glass and holds it out towards Juliet. She picks hers up too and Magnum says, “A toast.” He pauses and locks eyes with her, trying to be completely serious, as he says, “Some ships are wooden, but those ships may sink. The best ships are friendships, so to our ship, we drink.” With that he clinks her glass and shoots his shot.

Her mouth couldn’t be spread any wider in a grin. After the clink, she rolls her eyes—a feigned annoyance for show—but then she winks at him for reassurance and throws her shot back.

“Do you plan on speaking in puns and corny jokes all night, then?”

“Well, I’d say it’s a two-pronged success so far.”

She puts her chin in her hand and raises her eyebrows as if to say, _please explain further_. She offers him her full, undivided attention. He couldn’t be more content. 

“It’s distracted us from our current problems and it’s got us back to our old rhythm.”

“Oh, we have a rhythm, do we?”

“I’d like to think so. You’ve already laughed at me, rolled your eyes at me, but also cut me some slack. Back to our rhythm.” He looks very pleased with himself. It’s utterly adorable.

She picks up the wine bottle and pours some for each of them.

She raises her glass and says, “I’d like to offer a toast as well. To you, Thomas. For never being afraid to tell me the truth when I need to hear it.”

His face changes. He looks guilty. He mistakes what she says as a snide criticism of his current avoidance to address whatever it is that’s bothering him.

She reaches across the table and puts her hand on top of his and explains, “I mean it. Sometimes, my own mind can talk me into and out of things that my heart knows aren’t right. I do tend to lead with my head in most decisions. But… you voice the things I’m often trying to tamp down and ignore. Ultimately, you help me see clearly. It’s like you blow in and drive out the fog.”

He doesn’t know what to say, but she continues with, “Our previous conversation, about love and relationships, I… it…”

She pulls her hand away as she leans back in her chair, frustrated by her own ineloquence. 

She changes tactics and comes directly out with it, “I broke up with Ethan. He was great, but he wasn’t right for me. I think I would’ve kept lying to myself about that if you hadn’t been willing to have an honest conversation with me. So, to you, Thomas. The most honest man I’ve ever known, and the best _‘ship’_ I’ve ever had.”

She can tell he’s wrestling with keeping his emotions in check. He seems choked up. She wants to give him a moment to collect himself so she says, “I know I said I wouldn’t bring it up, but I just want you to know, we truly don’t have to talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you. I trust you enough to know that you’ll be honest with me when you’re ready. It wouldn’t be fair of me to rush you. I thought, in turn, you deserved to hear something from my heart, since you offer yours all the time.”

He still feels too raw to respond to her honesty, though he appreciates hearing what she has to say. Instead, he focuses on the big reveal she’s just shared. “When did you break up with Ethan? Please don’t tell me you did it over the phone while we were traveling.” He gives her a slight grimace.

“No, of course not. After the hospital, when he brought me home. What really forced my hand was that after everything, it wasn’t Ethan who I wanted standing next to me—he wasn’t what was going to make me feel better.”

“What _was_ going to make you feel better?”

“Not what, but who.”

They lock eyes and she doesn’t have to say it, they both know who she’s talking about.

“Well, I did a bad job at making you feel better then, that’s for sure,” Magnum says.

“No, that’s not true. The moment I saw you I felt relief.” She feels a heaviness build between them. She can tell his mind is working to form words carefully.

“There was nothing I wanted more than to get to you—after the rescue. And when you walked through the door and I saw you, I—”

Just then their waiter returns and asks what they’d like to eat. The seriousness of the moment slowly fades. Juliet feels it slip through her fingers. She could swear it felt like Thomas was building towards something important.

She sighs and orders a steak for Thomas and a soup and salad for herself.

When the waiter is gone again Thomas says, “Thank you for not pushing.”

That puts a finality to their serious discussion. “Of course,” she says, because what else can she say?

Through dinner they cover a range of neutral topics. Juliet checked in with Kumu while they were on the plane. The lads are mopey without Juliet, or Thomas to chase for that matter, but otherwise good. There’s been a few days of rain in a row, which is unusual. Robin called Kumu to check in and she filled him in on everything. He wanted the message passed along that whatever else they should need he would help with.

They finish off the bottle of wine and they’re both feeling more relaxed.

When they return to their room, the bed has been split into two twins and they’ve each been made. 

Juliet offers, “You seemed upset, so I asked a maid if she could split them when I went to the loo. I wasn’t sure if they’d get to it or not.”

Now Thomas looks just as stricken about there being two beds as he did when there was one. She’s frustrated that she can’t seem to figure out what’s going on in his head.

They’re both exhausted, still trying to catch up on sleep as they try to recover, mentally and physically, from their initial capture. Juliet says, “Well, we should probably get some sleep.”

Thomas nods agreement.

She hates that he seems to have gone mute on her again.

They take turns in the bathroom and then each crawl into their respective beds.

“Night,” she mumbles as she reaches to turn off the light.

She gets a low grunt from him in return.

* * *

She’s woken up in the middle of the night by Magnum. At first, she thinks he’s talking to her, trying to get her attention. Then she realizes he’s still asleep but having a nightmare.

Sitting up in bed she debates what to do. He’s thrashing around in the blankets and mumbling. She hears her name a few times as well as phrases like, “No, don’t,” and “Please, please stop.”

She throws back the covers and takes the few steps necessary to cross the room to his bed. She sits lightly on the edge and starts by softly calling his name, “Thomas. Thomas it’s okay. You’re okay. Thomas it’s Juliet. You’re okay. Can you hear me?”

He’s still stuck in the nightmare. Tears streak down his face in messy patterns as he shakes his head back and forth.

She softly places her hand in the center of his chest and rubs in soothing circles and keeps repeating, “Thomas, it’s Juliet. I’m here. You’re okay.” It’s a long sixty seconds of this but then his eyes slowly open. When the haze of the dream leaves his vision and he sees that she’s real he sits bolt upright and throws his arms around her.

He’s breathing heavy and his t-shirt is damp from having sweat through it.

She can barely wrap her arms around his waist; he's got her locked up tight. 

She turns her head so her mouth is near his ear and she whispers, “I’m right here. I’m fine. You’re fine. We’re both okay.” She loses count of how many times she says it. It takes ages for his embrace to loosen. When it does, she only pushes away from him enough to say, “Arms up, let’s get you out of this t-shirt, it can’t be comfortable.”

Instead of making a joke he does as she asks. This worries her. He’s clearly still shaken by whatever he imagined happening.

Once out of the t-shirt she tells him to scoot over. He complies and she lifts the covers and gets in the bed with him. After she’s settled on her back she pulls him to her. His head rests half on her shoulder, half on her chest. He wraps his left arm across her stomach and he moves his left leg over hers. She has her left arm under him and it wraps around the back of his neck. Her fingers lightly scratch the back of his head. He gives a contented sigh. Her right arm reaches for the bicep of the arm he’s thrown across her and she traces patterns over his skin.

They don’t speak. Eventually his breathing evens out. She knows he’s asleep. She stays awake for a while just listening to his steady inhales and exhales, enjoying the solid feeling of him. They’ve never touched like this before. It’s intimate, but it doesn’t feel indecent, it feels natural.

It’s this moment when she knows she’s in love with him.

She doesn’t know what to do with this new knowledge. Her heart suddenly feels full. Her mind is happy and light. She turns her head slightly and kisses his forehead. He gives a tiny mumble and hugs her tighter, still sleeping.

At some point she drifts off. When she wakes next and looks at the clock it’s just after five in the morning. They’re still in the exact position they fell asleep.

The train is due at the station in under an hour. She slowly slips out from beneath Magnum and makes her way to the bathroom. She pauses in the doorway and looks back at him. He’s still out cold, but he has the hint of a smile on his face. Juliet takes one last longing glance before getting ready for the day.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is back together again! Time to break into a museum.

Rick and Eddie pick them up from the station. They had an awkward but brief morning. After she was changed and ready she had to wake Magnum up. He clearly needed more sleep. When he cracked open his eyes he seemed confused that she was dressed and ready to go. He looked like he wanted to ask her a question. Instead, he made his way to the bathroom but oddly took the same action she had earlier—he paused in the doorway and turned back. He studied his rumpled bed, looked long and hard at his discarded t-shirt on the floor, then turned his scrutinizing gaze on her. 

Juliet couldn’t help herself, she offered him a radiant smile, cheeks blushing slightly. His eyes narrowed as he studied her suspiciously but then he offered her his lopsided conspiratorial grin before turning and heading into the bathroom. That was as much as they’d acknowledged anything that happened. 

Now they sit in a van with Rick and Eddie as the two fill them in on what they’ve done so far. 

“Looks like you were right Thomas, Ivan picked up the trail. He’s got scouts in Afghanistan now. It’s only a matter of time before he realizes we were at the base and sends—what I assume will be fake—soldiers to the area to start asking questions.”

Eddie interjects with, “Well, he’s gonna have one hell of a time trying to sort through where exactly we are. Juliet and I left traces all over Afghanistan, Russia, and India. By the time he sifts through that, then tries to track the real directions we all went in, he’ll be days behind us.”

“Yeah,” Thomas says, “but Ivan’s smart. He’ll pick us up eventually. We can’t waste time.”

“Right you are my friend,” Rick says, “but worry not, for Eddie and I have a plan.”

“Lovely, would you boys care to enlighten us?” Higgins asks. 

“Well it turns out we’re lucky in terms of location. Though the Louvre and it’s crazy high-tech, state-of-the-art—no pun intended—security system is only across the Seine, the Musee d’Orsay is a much smaller museum and less trafficked. And did you know it wasn't originally designed to be a museum at all? It used to be an old railway station. That fact works in our favor,” Rick says.

Eddie picks up the conversation. “Rick is correct, security is solid with cameras everywhere and alarms, but it’s pretty standard. They’re more concerned with protecting the paintings should something happen that’s fire or water related. Those systems work pretty well on thieves too.”

“What do you mean?” asks Magnum. He’d studied the building layout on the plane and noted the camera system, but he knew Higgins and Eddie could bypass that.

“Well, if any alarms are triggered, fire and water damaged protocol kicks into place. For water, that means a protective floor to ceiling screen drops in front of each painting. But for fire, that means each individual gallery is sealed off and the air is sucked out of the rooms since oxygen feeds fire. No oxygen, fire goes out.” After a small pause Eddie says, “Oh, and anyone stuck in that gallery suffocates.”

“Right, so we want to make sure not to trigger any alarms then,” Higgins states. 

“That is correct,” Eddie says. They keep discussing what they’ve planned as Rick drives them all toward their hotel. They’ll pick up T.C. and Gordon a bit later and then they’ll make sure everything is ready for tonight.

* * *

Back in the hotel Rick booked everything is set, but they go over the plan one final time. 

“Alright,” Rick says, “Eddie, you stay in the van to monitor progress and to make sure no one is picked up on the cameras. You’ll loop the feed and security will be none-the-wiser. Make sure, under no circumstances, any alarms are triggered.”

“On it.”

“I’ll come back and join you once we’re done busting through the wall.”

Just then, T.C. and Gordon walk into the room with their arms full. 

“Speak of the devils. You guys get what we need?”

“Yeah,” says Katsumoto, “I’m not sure how you ‘knew a guy’ in Paris, but he supplied us with enough explosives and other gadgets to get the job done, and then some. How is it that you expect security not to hear the explosion?”

“Gordy, come on. The old railway tunnels connect to the basement level. First of all, no one goes down there. Second of all, the security office is at the opposite end of the building. Third of all, I will be outside the security window pretending to be very drunk and playing music very loudly. They’ll be distracted.”

“If you say so.”

“Right,” say Higgins, “T.C. and Gordon, you’re with us.” She nods in Magnum's direction. “You two will help us with the heavy lifting as we clear away the wall we blow through. Once done, you’ll both make your way to the security office. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll be in and out before they do their hourly sweep and you two won’t have to do anything but monitor.”

“Meanwhile,” Thomas jumps in, “Higgins and I will work to take down the painting, remove the frame, replace it with a new one, and then put the painting back exactly as we found it. No one will ever know that it was touched.”

“Simple as that,” Rick says.

No one voices it, but they all wonder if it’ll really be that easy.

* * *

It starts off smooth enough. Rick is right, where they’re blowing a hole in the basement wall and where security is located are on complete opposite ends of the building. Rick is making his drunk scene and has drawn the amused attention of the night shift security guards through the window who never encounter anything near as entertaining as this. A drunk American singing “Born in the U.S.A.” at the top of his lungs and dancing in the street sure isn’t what they expected to see tonight. Rick gives them a good show. The only reason he knows he can stop his song and dance act is because T.C. tells him over comms that they’re through the wall. Rick wanders away, turns a corner, and goes back to the van with Eddie to monitor their progress. 

Thomas and Juliet make their way to the third floor and wait to hear from Gordon and T.C. that they’re in position to monitor the guards inside the security booth. Paul Signac’s _Castle of the Popes _painting hangs in the very first gallery they enter once they exit the stairwell and step through a small side hallway.__

__Magnum and Higgins make quick work of removing the painting from the wall and popping it out of the frame. What takes more time is removing nails from the original frame so that they can easily transport the four pieces of wood that make it up in a backpack. Then they nail together the faux frame pieces they’ve brought with them as a replacement. They’re just about done, but as they’re putting the painting back into the new frame, someone speaks._ _

__“Perfect timing. I’ll take the painting without the frame. Easier to transport,” Ivan says._ _

__When the pair look up from where they’re kneeling on the floor, Ivan has a gun pointed at them and four goons with him._ _

__Magnum and Higgins make eye contact. They both slowly raise their hands in the air. What they silently acknowledge though is that Ivan has no idea they’re not here for the painting, so they’ve got to play into that._ _

__“How’d you find us so fast?” Thomas asks._ _

__“Don’t worry your pretty little head about that. A man is entitled to his secrets.”_ _

__“We won’t let you get away with this,” Higgins says._ _

__“The fight in you just won’t quit, will it? The thing is, now that you’ve led me to the next clue, I don’t need either of you any more. Since I don’t want you chasing after me, I think this is the end of the line.”_ _

__From his ear piece Magnum hears T.C. say, “Thomas, Gordon and I are on our way. Hang tight.”_ _

__Higgins knows they should stall, so she tries to engage Ivan. “Going to shoot us in cold blood then? That seems beneath you. And where’s my favorite guy, Peter? Hmm?”_ _

__Ivan motions for his men to go grab the painting that’s still on the floor between Magnum and Higgins. While they do he says, “Now, now, I think you know me a little better than that. I have something fun planned for the two of you. Admittedly, Peter thought it up. Don’t worry Juliet, he had your torture in mind.”_ _

__Once his men have the painting, Ivan steps back beyond the entryway to the room. Three of the men exit but one of his guys pulls a blowtorch out of his tactical pack. Magnum and Higgins watch, confused, as he ignites the flame, walks over to what seems a specific spot in the room, then smiles as he looks toward the ceiling._ _

__Thomas and Juliet track his gaze. As the man holds the flame up high they realize it’s right under a fire detector._ _

__Just then, from down the opposite end of the hallway, Gordon and T.C. burst through a set of doors and start sprinting towards them. Ivan bolts at the same time the fire alarm kicks on and the sprinklers start gushing._ _

__Everything is chaos and commotion._ _

__The floor to ceiling screens start to drop covering all the artwork on the surrounding walls. The man with the blowtorch bolts towards the side hallway and exit that Ivan just ran through. As he’s exiting the room the fire proof walls are coming down quickly to seal it off. The man slides under and makes it out just in time. Thomas and Juliet run at a perpendicular direction towards Gordon and T.C. who are in the wide main hallway that runs parallel to all the galleries, but the barrier drops before they can escape. All they can do is look at each other through the wall. T.C. shouts, “We’ll get you out.”_ _

__“Eddie, can you shut down the alarms?” Gordon shouts over the noise and water._ _

__“Working on it, man. Ivan’s got someone in the system making counterattacks to any code I try to write to override the system.”_ _

__“Rick, you’ve got the blueprints, see anything?” T.C. asks._ _

__“I’m looking, I’m looking.”_ _

__Meanwhile, water rains down on Thomas and Juliet. They’re drenched in under a minute. On top of the alarms and water they hear a loud vent kick on. It sounds like an industrial vacuum cleaner. They know it’s sucking oxygen out of the room._ _

__“Eddie, can you see what percentage of oxygen is left in the room?” Thomas shouts._ _

__“Yes, why?”_ _

__“I need you to tell us when it gets to 75%. After that, it’ll be difficult to take a large enough breath to hold it. We’ll start timing from there.”_ _

__“Timing? What does he mean?” Eddie asks as he looks at Rick._ _

__“Thomas was a SEAL, he can hold his breath for about six minutes.”_ _

__“What about Higgins?” Eddie wants to know._ _

__Thomas grabs Juliet’s shoulders and looks her in the eyes. “We trained for this,” he shouts over the noise._ _

__“Well, not this exactly,” She shouts back with a hint of a smile._ _

__“You wanna joke _now?”___

____“Better option than the alternative.”_ _ _ _

____“Look, when we practiced for the Iron Man you worked up to three and a half minutes of being able to hold your breath.”_ _ _ _

____“It’s been a while since then,” she admits._ _ _ _

____“When exactly do you think the last time I held my breath for six minutes was?”_ _ _ _

____“Fair point,” She concedes._ _ _ _

____“Look, we’ve got this. The guys will get us out.” He sounds confident. While this looks bad, they’ve certainly been in worse situations. She feels reassured that the Thomas she knows and trusts is back. The Thomas who always knows they’ll find their way out of difficult situations. The Thomas that knows he can do anything if Juliet is by his side._ _ _ _

____“Hey guys,” Eddied interjects, “You’ve got about ten seconds until we reach 75%.”_ _ _ _

____“Ready?” Magnum asks._ _ _ _

____“As I’ll ever be,” says Higgins._ _ _ _

____He moves his hands from her shoulders and takes both her hands in his. “On three,” he says, “One, two, three,” and they each take a huge inhale. There’s nothing to do but stare at each other and try to say everything they wish they’d been brave enough to voice with words before now. Instead they try to impart their feelings through looks. It’s all they’ve got._ _ _ _

____“I found something,” Rick says._ _ _ _

____“What you got, brother?” T.C. wants to know._ _ _ _

____“There should be two manual release buttons high up on the walls just outside the entryway to the room.”_ _ _ _

____T.C. and Gordon look up. “Yeah man, I see them. Only one problem. They’re about twelve feet in the air and fifteen feet apart from each other.”_ _ _ _

____Rick turns to Eddie and asks, “How’s it going?”_ _ _ _

____“I’m working man, but start figuring out that manual release as a backup plan.”_ _ _ _

____Gordon says, “We passed a ladder in the basement level where we came in. I’ll get it. T.C., you figure out a way to reach the second manual release button.” Katsumoto takes off at a sprint for the stairwell._ _ _ _

____“Orville, get your ass inside, I’m gonna need you for this.”_ _ _ _

____“On it.” Rick throws open the door to the van, jumps out running, rounds the corner, and sees the security guards who exited to the street when the fire alarms started. He back pedals and tells T.C. he has to take the long way around._ _ _ _

____Inside, T.C. gathers three of the wooden benches that sit outside each gallery room and places them on top of each other under one of the buttons. He climbs on top. They’re not very sturdy, so he doesn’t feel like he can risk adding another to the stack, but when Rick gets here, he can climb on T.C.’s shoulders and he should have plenty of reach to hit the button._ _ _ _

____T.C. looks at Thomas and Juliet and says, “Just hold on.”_ _ _ _

____They nod at him._ _ _ _

____“I’ve got something,” Eddie says. “I can’t open the doors, but I think I can stop the vent from extracting the oxygen.”_ _ _ _

____“Great, do it,” Rick yells as he bursts through the stairwell, out of breath._ _ _ _

____“Only problem is, they should still hold their breath,” Eddie says._ _ _ _

____“What, why?”_ _ _ _

____“They’ll only have 30% oxygen left in the room. That’s about the equivalent of being on top of Everest. Except their bodies won’t have acclimated. They’ll hyperventilate for a bit before passing out.”_ _ _ _

____“Better than the alternative at the moment,” T.C. says._ _ _ _

____Magnum and Higgins look at each other and shrug. He gives her a reassuring smile and she gives him one back. They’re both oddly calm for how dire the situation is._ _ _ _

____“Okay, the vent is off.”_ _ _ _

____Just then, Gordon crashes through the doorway, ladder banging into everything in it’s way as he runs haphazardly toward the other release button. While he’s opening the ladder, Juliet releases one of Magnum’s hands and waves her arm to catch their attention. She shakes her head to indicate she’s almost at the three and a half minute mark._ _ _ _

____She looks at Thomas and he knows she can’t hold her breath any more. He gives her a nod and she squeezes his hand. The moment she exhales and tries to breathe in she feels like she’s drowning in the air. No amount of heaving can help get the oxygen she needs. She falls to her hands and knees. Magnum kneels down next to her but the most he can do is rub her back. He can’t even offer her words of reassurance. The worst thing for him to do would be to panic and put himself in the same situation that she’s in._ _ _ _

____Higgins starts to list to one side and then slowly falls over. She’s unconscious and Thomas can only watch as his friends scramble to open the barrier._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I left this on a bit of a cliff hanger. Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will the gang make it out of the museum? And how did Ivan find them so quickly?

“Uhh, guys,” Eddied says.

“Little busy, buddy,” Rick says as he’s scrambling to climb T.C. who’s bracing himself against the wall standing atop three precasriously situated benches that aren’t meant to be stacked. Rick makes his way up his friend’s shoulders.

“Yeah, I know, but police and fire just arrived. I’d say you have two minutes, tops, before they make their way inside and find you.”

“You know Eddie, that’s perfect, because we won’t even need two minutes, and Higgins doesn’t have it. How about we fix this now, guys?”

He looks across the way at Gordon who’s on top of the ladder. Rick nods and they hit the manual release buttons at the same time. 

The walls start to lift back into the ceiling. 

Thomas is feeling dizzy from holding his breath for so long, but he could make it another thirty seconds if he had to. He only needs ten of those seconds to drag Juliet out into the hallway where there’s oxygen. 

Though she’s unconscious, she’s still breathing on her own. The only thing they can do for her is watch as her chest rises and falls. Thomas knows it’ll take a few minutes for her to wake up, but they don’t have the time. 

As Rick, T.C., and Gordon climb down from their respective perches, T.C. shouts, “Come on, we gotta go.” 

Magnum tries to pick up Higgins but he’s wobbly. Rick and Katsumoto each put an arm under him as T.C. picks up Higgins and they all make their way to the basement and exit the same way they entered. Thomas has the backpack on his back so at least the mission isn’t a complete failure. They have the frame and Ivan doesn’t know that he has a clue that isn’t a clue at all.

* * *

They’re inside the safety of the van and everyone is soaking wet except for Eddie who's driving. Higgins is laid out flat. It takes two long minutes before her eyes start to flutter. 

She tries to sit up but T.C. says, “Hey, take it easy Higgy-baby. Deep breaths. With me.” T.C. takes her through a series of inhales and exhales. Color starts to come back into her cheeks. 

She asks, “Do we have the frame?”

“Right here,” Thomas says as he holds up the backpack. 

Eddie pulls into the parking garage of their hotel.

Rick says, “Okay, everyone go get changed and then meet back in my room.” There are nods of agreement. 

When Rick and Eddie initially arrived in Paris they booked three rooms. Two of them are corner rooms across the hall from each other. The other is an adjoining room with one of the corners. Since Gordon and T.C. arrived last, they have the solo corner room. Thomas and Juliet have the adjoining room to Rick and Eddie’s corner room. 

Two days ago Juliet would’ve been annoyed to be sharing a room with Thomas. Today though, she’s grateful for any chance she has to be near him. 

Yet once they’re inside, she doesn’t know what to say. It’s always hard coming up with words after a near-death experience. There’s almost too much to say. They each make their way over to their bags and start pulling out dry clothes. 

“You want the bathroom first?” Magnum asks.

When she turns to face him he has his shirt off. She’s surprised so she stares for a few seconds. It’s not like she hasn’t seen him with his shirt off a hundred times before, but his dark skin, wet hair, and the goosebumps stippling his skin suddenly make her feel warm. 

“You go ahead,” she says. Otherwise, she’d have to walk past him to get to the bathroom, and she doesn’t trust herself to do that without throwing herself at him. 

When he comes back out she’s just pulling a fresh shirt over her head. 

“Sorry,” he says.

“No, it’s okay. You’ve seen me in less,” she says with a smile. 

He blushes. 

She notices. 

Rick throws open the door that connects the two rooms and asks, “You two ready, or what?”

They both follow him through the doorway into the next room. 

“First things first,” Rick says, “How the hell did Ivan find us so fast?”

Eddie says, “There is no way he would’ve caught up this quickly if he followed the breadcrumbs we left him,”

“Yes, I agree. He caught up to us another way,” Juliet says. “Thomas or I—or both of us maybe—must have a tracker on us.”

“Hold up,” says T.C. “Rick, your guy gave us a bunch of toys when we met with him earlier. I’m sure I saw a scanner.”

Gordon picks up the duffel bag they brought back earlier and pulls it out. 

“Arms out, Magnum,” Katsumoto says. 

“Gordy, no offense, but can’t someone else do that? I feel like you’re one second away from arresting me.”

“You can’t be serious, Magnum.”

“Oh give it here, Gordon,” Higgins says. Katsumoto rolls his eyes at Magnum but hands over the scanner. 

Higgins starts low, down at Magnum’s feet, follows a path up his right leg, over his torso, down his outstretched right arm then back to his right shoulder, arcs it in front of his face to his left shoulder when suddenly it starts beeping. 

Higgins puts the scanner down and starts inspecting Magnum’s head. She runs her hands over his neck, slips a hand partially under his collar to feel his shoulder. She runs her hand up the back of his neck and into his hair. She feels him shiver but presses on since the guys are watching. She doesn’t think too long on what his reaction might mean. When she gets to the back of his left ear she feels a small bump. 

“Flashlight,” she says. 

Rick pulls out his phone, turns on the flashlight, and hands it to Higgins. 

“Hmm,” she says, “You have a small scab here slightly bigger than a needle prick and there’s a lump underneath. I’ll cut it out.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s not be hasty here,” Thomas says as he moves away from her. 

“Magnum, don’t be ridiculous. It needs to come out.”

“Well why don’t we scan you and see if you have a bug that needs to come out.”

“Fine.” Higgins turns to T.C. and holds the scanner out. He takes it from her and gives her the full scan. Nothing pops. 

“Looks like it’s just you.” Higgins levels a pointed look at Magnum.

“Here,” Gordon says, as he pulls a swiss army knife out of his pocket, “It’s definitely sharp enough to do the job.”

“Oh, oh, I can help too,” Rick says as he opens the mini fridge. “Heads up, Thomas.”

Magnum catches what Rick tosses and looks at it in his hand. It’s a mini bottle of vodka. 

“Now that’s not for drinking, young man, it’s to clean the field,” Rick admonishes while giggling. 

“Okay, laugh it up everyone.”

“Excuse me,” Higgins says, “But which one of us has nearly fifty stitches in their back, currently, hmm?” She offers him a pointed look, lips going flat, eyebrows raised. 

Thomas knows he’s lost this argument and the tracker needs to come out either way. He dramatically lowers his head and sulks back into his room with Higgins right behind him. 

“How do you want me?” He asks. 

She does a double take. Everything he says and does feels charged to her. She doesn’t think he’s doing it on purpose, but he does seem to find amusement in her discomfort after the fact.

He follows up her silence with, “Sitting in a chair or laying on a bed?”

She shakes herself out of it and says, “Bed, I think. That way your head is less likely to move as I cut.”

He walks towards his bed and pulls his shirt over his head at the same time.

“What are you doing?” She questions. 

“Higgins, I just changed. I don’t want to ruin another shirt—I only have so many changes of clothes with me halfway across the world.”

“Right, of course.” She says, as if she knew exactly why he removed his shirt. 

He tries to hide his laugh as he lays down flat on the bed. His right cheek connects with the comforter so that she has easy access to behind his left ear. 

“Here,” she says as she removes the pillows that lean against the headboard, “slide up further and I can use the lamp on the bedside table as my surgery lighting.”

“Could you try to sound less excited about cutting me open, please?”

She rolls her eyes at him and heads to the bathroom. When she comes back she has a towel that she asks him to put underneath his head. He complies. 

After she’s repositioned the light, pulled a chair over to sit on, poured vodka over where she’ll cut and doused the knife as well as the tweezers she’s taken from her toiletry kit, she’s ready to start. “I’m sorry Thomas, but this is probably going to hurt. Less so the incision and more so the tweezers trying to dig the tracker out.”

“It’s okay, I know you’re not really taking pleasure in my pain. Right?”

She leaves the question unanswered and smirks. 

She knows she needs to press hard and cut deep so that she only has to do it once. She makes her incision and he barely winces. Blood wells up immediately and she uses a dry face cloth to wipe it away and a wet one to clear the site more, then she dives in with the tweezers. She makes contact with the tracker quickly, but she has to do some maneuvering to position them right for extraction. With the blood, the tracker slips out of the grip on her first attempt, so the second time she applies slightly less pressure and is able to pull it out. It’s tiny. It fits on the tip of her finger. She places it on the bedside table and works to clean Magnum up. She wipes away all the blood, including some that’s trailed down his neck, then she applies pressure before she removes it to sanitize the wound and bandage it up. 

“All set,” she says. 

As she moves to get up from the chair, Magnum sits up on the bed and grabs her hand to stop her. 

They’re very close together. She needed the chair nearly touching the bed to cut out the tracker. Now, his legs are splayed on either side of hers, just outside the chair, boxing her in. Plus, he’s still holding one of her hands. She can see all the pretty shades of brown in his chocolate-colored eyes. She feels surrounded by him. Her body is buzzing.

“I know I gave you a hard time about cutting out the tracker—and that I do that a lot, pretty regularly—but thank you.” He’s not smiling, just looking at her completely serious. 

It’s sobering. She looks down at their joined hands and watches as his thumb rubs in a soothing back and forth motion. She feels words bubbling up inside her, ready to break the surface. Now’s not the moment to tell him what she really wants to though.

Instead, when she looks up she says, “Thomas, there’s not much I wouldn’t do for you.” There really isn’t. She hopes he knows that. 

He replies with, “You were right, you know.”

Her eyebrows knit together because she can’t follow his train of thought. She asks, “What about?”

“Come on, not even a joke about how you’re always right?”

That gets a smile out of her. 

He turns serious again as he says, “We’re stronger together than we are apart.”

He finally sees them just as clearly as she does. 

There are so many things she wants to say to him in this moment, so many emotions swirling around inside her, but he continues on and asks, “Can we talk later?”

“Aren’t we talking now?” 

“No. I mean, yes. But, what I mean is, I want to tell you what’s been bothering me.”

“Oh.” She’s both surprised and not at the same time. She knew he’d talk to her eventually, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t be until this whole Ivan mess was resolved. “Yes, of course we can talk. Whenever you want.”

Just then Rick peeks around the doorway, “Hey, we got something.”

Juliet moves to stand and quickly cleans up the mess while Thomas joins the guys in the other room.

It's time to focus on solving their current mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading. We're getting closer and closer to Miggy admitting how they feel, but I'm kind of having fun with the slow burn. Reviews are appreciated!


End file.
